Michael Bay is venturing into the gaming industry with his next project.
Speaking at the Next World Forum tech summit in Riyadh on Wednesday, the acclaimed director revealed the untitled work is based on an original idea hatched nearly 20 years ago.
Bay confirmed the project has been in development for the past three years and is currently undergoing a testing phase. Known for his films Transformers and Armageddon, Bay said he is excited at the full-throttled stories games offer.
“Games and movies are shared experiences, they both invite audiences into an imaginary world where you can have some kind of human experience,” he said.
“Playing games gets my blood pressure going because you experience this big broad story. While in movies you can manipulate your blood pressure through music and sound.”
Although details about the game are under wraps, Bay revealed the story stems from forgotten notes written 17 years ago and only came to light after acquiring the game company Digital Domain from Avatar director James Cameron.
"I wanted to create huge action and a huge world with great characters and emotion," he said. "And I do think that this is where games have to aspire to.”
Bay's comments were part of a wider discussion surrounding celebrity investment in the gaming industry.
Also on the panel was retired footballer Gareth Bale.
As the owner of Ellevens Esports, which competed in the Fifae Club World Cup and the Rocket League Championship Series, he acknowledged the similarities between professional sports and esports.
"You need to have a strategy when it comes to running your team. You can now have content creators create a different atmosphere around the team to make it more fun or series," he said. "It is easy to market that and make people support that team."
As for the future of esports, Bale said the best is yet to come.
“Esports is the next best thing if you are not able to make it to that professional level because you can play in your local leagues, make a team with your friends and potentially make a lot of money," he said.
"It's the next best thing to being a professional footballer or an NFL player and you can play these games in a professional environment.”
Fellow panellist and tech entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk – also known as Gary Vee – said the gaming industry's cultural and financial muscle is destined to grow.
"Gaming has now crossed over into one of the cultural pillars of our society like movies, sports and fashion," he said. "On this day, as we sit here, this is the smallest the gaming industry will be."
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20will%20host%20Scotland%20for%20a%20three-match%20T20I%20series%20at%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Stadium%20next%20month.%3Cbr%3EThe%20two%20sides%20will%20start%20their%20Cricket%20World%20Cup%20League%202%20campaigns%20with%20a%20tri-series%20also%20involving%20Canada%2C%20starting%20on%20January%2029.%3Cbr%3EThat%20series%20will%20be%20followed%20by%20a%20bilateral%20T20%20series%20on%20March%2011%2C%2013%20and%2014.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
more from Janine di Giovanni
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
