It seems the director responsible for iconic films such as "Alien," "Blade Runner" and "Black Hawk Down" will be doing some directing for the "Call of Duty Elite" video game service.
Sir Ridley Scott will join several big Hollywood names to create "exclusive episodic entertainment" for Activision's forthcoming online community service based around the "Call of Duty" shooting franchise, according to USA Today.
The newspaper reports that Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg made the announcement during a presentation at the 13th Annual Pacific Crest Global Technology Leadership Forum in Colorado.
Hirshberg did not specify what that episodic entertainment will be precisely, but he added that, in addition to Scott, Activision is working with actors Will Arnett and Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development") as well as producer Ben Silverman ("The Office") and Scott's brother, producer/director Tony Scott.
"Just like any other passion that people spend a lot of their free time doing, 'Call of Duty' players share a common language and a common experience and we think we can create some entertainment content that they will love and talk about and share," Hirshberg said.
The "Call of Duty Elite" subscription-based service – which is currently in Beta testing and due to launch Nov. 8 – will let fans of the franchise track their career, share stats with friends and upload videos of their in-game experiences.
It will also, apparently, offer subscribers access to a web TV series based around the "Call of Duty" games. Hirshberg recently told UK newspaper The Guardian that providing this "linear video content" will play a key role in maintaining player interest in the 'Call of Duty' brand throughout the year.
Is this web-based TV series what Ridley Scott and the others will be working on? It seems likely, but Hirshberg hasn't laid out specifics.
What he has said is, "If you're a sports fan, there are lots of ways for you to connect with that hobby, that passion, not just on the day that the games are played, but throughout the week. And we wanted to give [Call of Duty players] real entertainment value."
(Thanks to USA Today for the heads up.)
For more "Call of Duty" news, check out:
- How 'Call of Duty Elite' works, and why you might pay for it
- Will you survive 'Modern Warfare 3'?
- Zombies hit moon in Call of Duty's 'Rezurrection'
Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things here on Twitter or join her in the stream here on Google+. And be sure to check out the In-Game Facebook page here.