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Did EA Arts Cancel
Casino Royale Video Game
Because of Craig?
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April 8, 2006
In the latest blow for Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond, EA Arts has cancelled the
development of their video game tie-in to the film Casino Royale.
EA had already authored and sold several successful Bond video games including
the latest release, From Russia With Love, which actually feature new voiceovers by
actor Sean Connery. Connery was reportedly paid over $1 million for his work.
Pierce Brosnan also received a handsome fee for starring in EA games as Bond.
Now that the Casino Royale game has been cancelled, neither Craig nor EON
Productions will see such royalties, which can be a lucrative add-on to any movie's
profits. Why would EA make such a move if insiders and movie industry analysts
were expecting Casino Royale to be a success?
EA officially blames production delays on the cancellation, but such complications
would not warrant the complete cancellation of their plans. It is clear that there are
underlying troubles with the Casino Royale film that led EA to this decision.
The most likely cause would be that EA reviewed consumer surveys like Q Scores
for the film and Daniel Craig, and found them too low to justify the needed
investment in the game. If this is what happened, Sony Pictures and EON could be
facing the biggest flop in the history of the Bond franchise.
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