Scarface and 50 Cent sequels planned, says VU Games boss

Vivendi Universal Games hopes to turn its forthcoming titles based on classic movie Scarface and US rapper 50 Cent into ongoing franchises, company president Phil O'Neil has revealed, with sequels to both games being a key part of the firm's plans.

Speaking exclusively with GamesIndustry.biz, O'Neil said that VU Games sees "a Scarface 2, a Scarface 3, a Scarface 4, and consecutive iterations of that product as being a really important component of what we're trying to do here."

Equally, with the forthcoming title based on 50 Cent, O'Neil claims that "arguably, 50 Cent - while a person - is not necessarily licensed IP in the traditional sense."

"It's actually an ability to create a franchise," he continued, "and that's probably the big determination which is the ability to take an IP and make it into a franchise as opposed to a one-off. So we're hopeful that candidly, both Scarface and 50, while not 'original' IP, become sustainable franchise brands for us."

In the interview - published in full on the site today - O'Neil speaks candidly about the difficulties VU Games has faced over the last few years and why he believes that the firm is now on the road to success.

He also discusses the success of the company's World of Warcraft massively multiplayer game, which, he says, has made VU Games into the world leader in this area - and talks about the shining example Blizzard's quality has set for the rest of the firm.

Check out our full interview with Phil O'Neil by clicking here.