From Variety.
Posted : Thurs., Aug. 7, 2008.

EA developing 'Godfather II' game. All except Pacino to appear in Feb. sequel By BEN FRITZ.

Electronic Arts is looking to pull gamers back in.
Publisher is developing The Godfather II, a sequel to it's 2006 videogame based on the classic Paramount film, for release in February. The original Godfather game saw worldwide sales of more than 4 million units. A total solid enough that EA greenlit a sequel almost immediately after production on the final version of the game was done in late 2006. According to industry tracker NPD, the first game grossed $62 million in the U.S.

Follow-up will follow elements of The Godfather Part II film plot that take place in the late 1950s, but not the flashbacks to Vito Corleone's early life that starred Robert De Niro. As in the first game, players control a new member of the Corleone crime family who is rising through the ranks.
'The flashbacks that are so great as a film experience, don't really work for a game ; we've created our own story that weaves in and out with the film and hits it's major touchpoints' said Nick Earl, senior VP-general manager for the EA Games label.

Most of the film's stars except notably Al Pacino, are providing image likeness rights to EA. In addition, Robert Duvall (whose Tom Hagen plays a prominent role in the game as an adviser to the character) is recording original voiceovers. Director Francis Ford Coppola (who publicly criticized the first game) is again not involved. Sequel makes Godfather the rare Hollywood license to turn into a videogame franchise, along with titles like Harry Potter, James Bond and Lord of the Rings. Paramount's long-term deal with EA allows the publisher to continue making more games if the sequel performs better than the original, as is common for successful videogame franchises. 'So many movie-based games are just one-offs, so to create a franchise, especially off a property from the 1970s, is pretty phenomenal', said Paramount senior veep of interactive and mobile Sandi Isaacs, who noted that the Godfather games benefit from not having to match the release date of a new film.

Studio's homevideo and pay TV groups are already considering plans to re-release The Godfather : Part II next winter tied to the game. Godfather is one of several games based on movies from the 1970s and early '80s, including Jaws and Scarface, to come out in the past few years, but it's the only one to get a sequel. Warner Bros. has had a videogame based on Dirty Harry in the works for several years.

Like the first Godfather game, Godfather II will take place in an open world similar to Rockstar's GTA Auto. However the follow-up takes place in 3 different cities: New York, Miami and Havana. Gameplay elements include up-close action as well as a the ability for players to manage their organized crime family from a citywide perspective. Game will also feature online multiplayer features with battles between mob families. EA is developing Godfather II at it's Redwood Shores studio for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, though for other consoles, the game may come out later in 2009.

I'm looking forward to the game.

Sweet, thanks! I hope they invite me back to California to preview it again. ("When am I going to California?")

Eventually I'll move this to the Video Games forum, but will keep a pointer to it here.

Can't wait to play this on my new PS3!!

This better come out for xbox or DS.

It's only on the 360 and PS3.

I'm looking forward to the 3 different cities.

I read somewhere on the net it's coming out on the 360, PS3 AND PC

I hope they make a Wii version in the future.. *CROSS FINGERS*

I think the Wii version of the Godfather is still the best 3rd party Wii game to date, which is both cool and sad...

Maybe I'll get a Wii for Christmas.

Unfortunately, the new GFII game is not coming for the Wii.

You son of a bitch.

Get a PS3. Problem solved.

Too expensive, I'd probably get an xbox 360 before a PS3 anyways because of all my xbox games. I'm not someone who cares what what has the sharpest graphics or whatnot, I like gameplay because that's what it's for! If I wanted to look a pretty pictures I'd buy a Playboy magazine.

I'd say the Wii is on the top of the list as far as video game consoles because of the interaction, it just seems like more fun.

Unfortunately, most of the software is shovelware crap, so you only have a handful of games that are actually any good.

Yeah I've had a Wii for a year now but it just gathers dust. For me there's nothing better than sitiing down with a controller in my hand and HDTV graphics with the 360.

That's the problem with mine too. I'm not excited about any Wii games coming out at all.

In fact, I'll end up buying four games in the month of October alone for my PS3:

Rock Band 2
Fallout 3
Little Big Planet
and Bioshock

I'm getting Fallout 3 forsure. I've owned Bioshock since it launched and it's one of the funnest shooters I've played. Little Big Planet is one of the games that makes me wish I had money for a PS3.