THE BUZZ: Studio HIVE today announced that it has obtained rights to produce a game based on Tony Jaa’s series of Ong-Bak films.

EGM’s TAKE: According to the announcement as posted over on VG24/7, the game will be developed in close collaboration with the license holder of the films—Sahamongkol Film International—and no doubt Tony Jaa as well. While few other details yet exist, the game will be a multi platform release set for some time this year.

So… I’ve never actually seen Ong-Bak. (Except for that clip where somebody edited in sound effects of Terry Bogart. That was Ong-Bak, right?) I own the DVD, though! It’s one of those films that I keep meaning to sit down and finally watch, but just haven’t yet. (Same with fellow Thai-produced martial arts movie Chocolate.) Still, I think this announcement is kind of exciting, provided that they do something interesting with the game. We now have plenty of examples of action titles which give a movie-esque feel to combat sequences—so amp up that feel, really get into the martial arts aspect, and you could have a great game.

Of course, if this was back in the 16-bit era, the Ong-Bak game would feature Tony Jaa participating in side-scrolling platforming gameplay in warehouses and city streets, while fighting off random thugs, birds, dogs, and whatnot.

What do you think about the idea of an Ong-Bak game? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: VG24/7