the-godfather posts

Even though the Steam service is the biggest signal downloadable source for full PC games, some recent major PC game titles still haven't shown up (Wolfenstein, anyone?). Electronic Arts has now offered six more of their PC games via Steam today. The list includes some older titles and a couple of more recent releases

The most recent game on the list is Need For Speed Shift which is on sale for its full $49.99 price. Other more recent games include Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 Uprising and The Godfather II. Older games include Battlefield 2 (including the recent 1.50 patch and the now free mini-expansions), The Godfather and Medal of Honor Airborne, the latter two of which are on sale for just $9.99 each.

Electronic Arts may have had its heart broken with making games based on the Godfather movie franchise and the reason is pretty simple. The LA Times web site has posted a quote from EA Games head Frank Gibeau (taken during E3 2009) who stated, "We're not going to do another one." While the first game in the open world crime action game series sold over 4 million copies, sales for the sequel, released last April, have been far less, selling under a quarter of a million copies since its release.

It's also likely that EA doesn't want to spend any more licensing money on such an expensive property like Paramount's Godfather series when it can do better creating its own original titles. Gibeau himself admitted, 'The bloom is really off the rose for licensed games."

Electronic Arts may have pushed back the release of their Godfather II game from this month until sometime this spring but there's apparently some good news concerning the game franchise on the legal front. The AP reports that a previously announced lawsuit concerning the first Godfather game, released in 2006, has now been settled.

Last June Anthony Puzo, the son of the late author of The Godfather novel Mario Puzo, filed a $1 million lawsuit against Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the movie version. Anthony Puzo claimed the movie studio failed to pay the Puzo estate on royalties generated from the first EA Godfather game (EA itself was not named in the lawsuit). Now the Puzo estate and Paramount have apparently reached a settlement. As usual in these cases, details about the settlement have not been revealed.

Electronic Arts is planning to release its second game based on the Godfather crime moves in early 2009 and this week the publisher released some new screenshots from the open world action game showing more of the somewhat brutal and, yes, explosive action we can expect in the final version.

Developed by EA's Redwood Shores studios, The Godfather II will have open world gameplay like the first game in the series but will expand on the first game's location as the player controls organized crime in the 1960s in not just New York City but also Miami and even Cuba. The screenshots show off not just the action portion of the game but also the strategic view which allows the player to get more involved in the business portion.

The Godfather II teaser trailer reveals what the next game look like. The art and narration stay true to the classic 1970's movie's style. Ultimately, the goal will be to think and act like a mobsters in the true Godfather tradition. Being a Don requires a lot more smarts than being an average thug, but all that power and prestige generally brings a shortened lifespan with it.

Download the Godfather II HD Teaser Trailer (79 MB)

Electronic Arts makes another go of making a game based on the Godfather movie franchise with The Godfather II. The game's official web site was recently launched along with the first public screenshots of the game's visuals. Most of the movie's actors (Al Pacino excluded) will have their likenesses in the new game which is being developed by EA's Redwood Shores division.

While The Godfather II will have open world gameplay like the first game in the series, this sequel will expand on first game's location as the player controls organized crime in the 1960s in not just New York City but also Miami and even Cuba. The screenshots show off not just the action portion of the game but also the strategic view which allows the player to get more involved in the business portion. The game is due for release in February 2009.

For a game that got mostly average reviews and sales, Electronic Arts seems eager to charge into making a new game based on the Godfather mobster movie series. The first Godfather game, released in 2006 for the PC and other platforms, was an open world action game a la Grand Theft Auto. However, the planned sequel looks to be a tad different. According to a Next Generation article, EA CEO John Riccitiello claims that while their second Godfather game can be played GTA style it can also be played in a top-down RTS-like mode. More info on the game should be revealed this fall.

One person who is looking to get some pay back from the first Godfather game is Anthony Puzo, the son of the late original Godfather author Mario Puzo. According to a Variety article, the son has sued Paramount Pictures for $1 million in damages, claiming the movie studio failed to pay the Puzo estate on royalties generated from the game. EA is not named in the lawsuit.