Film company turns horror flick into MMO

The world outside of gaming has taken notice of the financial windfall that can accompany a hit massively multiplayer online role-playing game like World of Warcraft or EverQuest, and it wants in on the action.

Film production company Big Screen Entertainment Group today announced that it has begun working on its first entry into the genre, a PC game based on its upcoming horror film Babysitter Wanted. According to the company's Web site, Babysitter Wanted "revolves around a tormented and tortured young girl whose only concern is the safety of herself and the child she is babysitting. Strange events unfold which lead to a tumultuous climax, leaving the audience hanging by their fingernails."

To adapt that story to an interactive medium, Big Screen is taking a new approach to MMORPG development. The company will start with the first half of the acronym, and then work on finishing up the rest of it later.

"Initially, a working MMO will be released within the next 12 months," the company said in a statement. "The game's platform will be constantly updated offering subscribers new challenges and character options. In phase two, the game will be upgraded to [a] 'Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.' MMORPGs give users the ability to role play inside the realtime virtual world as well as play against others."

Another part of the company's "phase two" includes ports of the game. Big Screen Entertainment "will concurrently make the game compatible for the popular Xbox, PlayStation 3, and comparable platforms as well."