J.J. Abrams Talks Storytelling With Valve’s Gabe Newell

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Last week, when J.J. Abrams took the stage with Valve Software’s president and co-founder Gabe Newell at DICE (Design Innovate Create Entertain) summit, the pair blew the minds of every geek in the country when they announced that both Bad Robot and Valve would be joining forces to expand and elevate the medium of film and video game narrative storytelling. This partnership could involve more video games, as well as potential Portal and Half-Life movies.

Video of the event, “Storytelling Across Platforms: Who Benefits Most, The Audience or the Player?” is now available for your viewing pleasure. Fair warning, the language both Abrams and Newell used during the event is Not Safe For Work.

Movies and games may have a lot to learn from each other. Newell points out the flaws in movies, citing for example the camera problems in Matt Reeves’ Cloverfield, while Abrams acknowledgs the limitations and focus of video games like Half-Life 2. Namely, where gamers are free to do anything they want without paying attention to the other characters and the story.

Movies based on video games have traditionally been pretty bad, while video games based on movies are often just as bad. Perhaps the partnership between Bad Robot and Valve could bridge the gap between both mediums.

The big question is, with Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars: Episode VII, and overseeing Bad Robot operations, where will J.J. Abrams find the time to do projects with Valve?