Here´s an interview with Felicia Williams, the brand manager of Ubisoft, the company which is about to release the new Michael Jackson video game in fall. The interview was made by Nathan Greyson for vg247.com.

Q: So we saw the announcement for the Michael Jackson game during Ubisoft’s E3 presser, and it was – if we’re being totally honest – deeply confusing. What kind of game are we looking at here? It does have dancing, doesn’t it?

A: Well, first thing that I can tell you is that Michael Jackson’s an incredible artist. His music, his creativity, his style – everything – has always been at the very top level. So we want to make sure that the game experience is the same.

Players can expect that they’re going to get a performance game. A full performance game – which is basically the next plateau of music gaming. You’re gonna be able to sing. You’re gonna be able to dance. You’re going to really be able to step into the shoes of Michael Jackson.

Q:How are you leveraging the Michael Jackson license? Is it going to be sort of like The Beatles: Rock Band? You know, a documentary type of thing? Or is it focused mostly on the performance aspect?

A:It’s definitely gonna be performance-focused. You know, we really want to give people the best of Michael Jackson and the best of his performances. That includes the track list. That includes the environments. We’re making sure that they’re very iconic. And that also includes what you’re actually going to be doing depending on what iconic or signature dance move or song [you’re working with]. So it’s very performance-based.

Q:What platforms is the game launching on?

A:It’s going to be on Xbox Kinect. It’s coming to the PS3 with Move capabilities. It’s also coming to the Wii, DS, and PSP.

Q:Was there any sort of temptation to rush the game out in order to capitalize on Michael Jackson’s passing last year?

A:Ubisoft has actually been wanting to do a Michael Jackson game for a very long time. The reason why we’re doing it now isn’t because of some kind of convenient timing. It’s actually because right now, the technology’s there to do something that’s really going to be up to Michael Jackson’s standards. Looking at all the new technologies that are out now with the arrival of Move, the arrival of Kinect, and of course the Wii, we’re able to do something that is really going to be able to speak to a Michael Jackson performance.

Q:Is that how Michael Jackson’s estate felt too? Did they see that new technology and say, “Finally, we can make a decent videogame”?

A:Again, I think it’s about the experience. I think everyone involved has realized that we’ve come to a place where the technology’s really gonna be able to show off to players what a real performance experience can be.

Q:Ok, so what are the components of these performances? Obviously, there’s singing and dancing. But is there anything else to it?

A:You’re gonna be singing. You’re gonna be dancing. Sometimes, you might be doing both at the same time. And it’s always gonna be inspired by his most iconic and signature music videos and stages. So expect things that are going to be very over-the-top and very Michael Jackson.

Q:The platform line-up you’ve listed for the game is quite diverse. You’ve got Kinect, which seems most suited for this type of game, and then you’ve got Move and the Wii, and – while Michael Jackson was an eccentric guy – he never danced with remotes in his hands. Would you say playing the game on Kinect is the optimal experience?

A:There’s no main platform for the game. There’s just a core experience we want to deliver, and it’s going to be slightly different on each platform depending on what the capabilities are.

Q:Does Ubisoft plan to turn Michael Jackson into a full-blown franchise? Or is this just a one-off?

A:At the moment, we’re really focused on the game that’s going to be launched this fall. But who knows what the future holds?

Q:Do you have any plans for DLC – music packs and things of the like?

A:Absolutely! Of course!

Q:Can you say anything about the DS and PSP versions of the game? If I tried to dance on my PSP, I’m pretty sure it’d snap in half due to my amazing moves. Or my weight.

A:We’re not really talking about the specific features at the moment. We’re not ready to reveal them right now.

Q:Ok, but just to be safe, we’re not going to see a port of Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker on the DS, are we?

A:[laughs]. Right now, we’re not revealing the details. But know that it’s going to deliver a similar experience to the next-generation consoles.

source: http://www.vg247.com/2010/07/02/interview-michael-jackson-the-games-felicia-williams/

Ok, I still have no real idea of what this game is going to be like but anyway, two things for sure - fun for the fans and money for the company

A more exact date and title has been revealed:

Title of the game - Michael Jackson: The Experience
Date of release: November 2010
The game will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS and PSP.

Can't wait for it!

Me to TheLittleFellow!

Also welcome to Generation Jackson!

Hey, LittleFellow, and welcome from me as well Hope you´ll enjoy your stay here - as well as the game

Michelle

Update:

Ubisoft confirmed that the release of theKinect and Move versions of the video game will be delayed to early 2011 to give their developers more time to polish them.

The Wii, DS and PSP versions of the game are still planned for this year though and will ship on Nov. 23 in North America and Nov. 25 in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Another article of the game

MOONWALKING just like Michael Jackson will soon be possible for everyone with the launch later this year of the first video game dedicated to the star since his death last year.

A game, developed under the watchful eye of Jackson's beneficiaries by French video game titan Ubisoft, will teach players to master the King of Pop's most famous dance moves.

Named Michael Jackson: The Experience, the game is being produced by Ubisoft's French editor in his studios in Montpellier and Montreal with a team of around 200 people.

The version for the Wii console sets the tone right from the start with background music from the star's many hit songs. In total there will be between 25 and 30 available in the final version.

In the early 1990s, Jackson was the star of a video game adapted from his 1988 Moonwalker film which involved players fighting supposed enemies of the star.

This game, however, invites the player to try to move like Jackson with points awarded for the most successful.

"We have looked at hundreds of hours of video and collaborated with choreographers, notably Travis Payne, who was involved in the preparation for the This Is It tour," for which Jackson was preparing at the time of his death, said creative director Alkis Argyriadis.

Respect for the work of the singer, who sold more than 750 million albums worldwide and had 13 No1 singles, is guaranteed by a firm managing the interests of Jackson's beneficiaries including his three children, with whom Ubisoft is in contact.

"The attention to detail even extends to the length of the hem on the trousers.... (and) the famous white glove," said producer Abdelhak Elguess.

Some Jackson moves have, nonetheless, had to be modified to give players a realistic chance of replicating them, according to Mr Argyriadis.

"Not everyone can dance as well as he could," he added.

A "dance school" made up of videos sets out his choreographies so that players can familiarise themselves with his body language.

The less gifted can take the role of one of Jackson's dancers.

Stephane Vallet, of Ubisoft Europe, said it takes "around two years to conceive a game" so the game was apparently already in the pipeline before Jackson died.

Of the consoles, the game can be played on Nintendo's DS and Sony's Playstation 2 portable and will be available from November 23 in the US and two days later in Europe and Asia.

But consumers will have to wait until the start of 2011 for Playstation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360.

A Los Angeles judge has set a January 2011 hearing to weigh whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray with involuntary manslaughter over his death on July 25, 2009.

The 57-year-old doctor was charged in February this year after officials ruled that Jackson died after being injected with a powerful cocktail of sedatives and painkillers, including propofol.

The doctor, who was the last person to see Jackson alive, has admitted administering drugs to the singer to help him sleep shortly before his death.

Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/dance-like-michael-jackson-in-new-video-game/story-e6frf7jx-1225920281523

The official trailer for the game is up now!! Watch and enjoy