Pirates director wants creative madness

Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinksi has urged game developers to "go down dark alleys" and not stick to set formulae, stating that "this is the time for madness".

His speech was made at the D.I.C.E. 2008, watched by GamesIndustry.biz, and highlighted his passion for gaming and the relationship it shares with films.

But he is sceptical our younger industry will follow its big-screen sibling and stifle creativity by clinging to tried and tested business models in search of a guaranteed returns on investments.

"The logic is flawed. They are reacting to a world which has already passed them by," said Verbinski. Our audience wants us to surprise them. They demand it of us.

"When they see something that's new, they will champion it because they discovered it. Serving them leftovers will never produce the financial gains of the original."

The Pirates of the Caribbean games were poorly reviewed and Verbinksi says this is because film studios treat them as merchandise, which he hates - believing that they should be regarded as another film and built using the same assets, although not necessarily have anything to do with their big-screen counterparts.

Verbinksi went on to pick out Guitar Hero as an example of an idea that sprung from the left field; a game that tapped on the memory of those who have stood in front of a mirror with a tennis racket as an instrument.

And this is the responsibility developers face, to stand up to the homogenisation of voice by going a bit bonkers, he reckons.

"It is time for the auteur in gaming. The game designer has a fiscal responsibility and a creative obligation to make the suits s*** themselves," concluded Verbinski.