Spector joins forces with John Woo on Ninja Gold

Industry luminary Warren Spector and action-movie director John Woo are collaborating on a videogame called Ninja Gold, according to Reuters of all places.

It reports that the game is set in modern-day, focusing on a ninja warrior who is "part of a centuries-old legacy and bloodline" and "forced to confront the reality of covert warfare in the modern world."

Spector has explained that Woo kick-started the idea for the game. "He wanted to do something involving traditional ninjas in a modern-day setting, and the idea just resonated with me. I was intrigued with the idea of what happens when the traditional and the contemporary come into conflict," the Deus Ex creator said.

John Woo's production partner Terrence Chang told Reuters, "The game concept is actually based on facts that the Yakuza and the Russian mob are involved in tons of gold being stolen in South Africa."

The movie director is described as being "intimately involved in the creation of the Ninja cast of characters, especially the hero."

It's additionally reported that Ninja Gold is being made into a movie, with John Woo to direct and produce and Warren Spector to act as executive producer.

Spector said that, with Ninja Gold, his thought from the start "was to develop something that would work just as well in games as in movies, and I know John was thinking along the same lines."

Warren Spector and John Woo joining forces on a videogame? Our bleeding thumbs are trembling in excitement at the very thought.

May 29, 2007