In 1997, while Steven Spielberg was in post-production for Saving Private Ryan, he was actually juggling another project.
It was for a game produced by DreamWorks Interactive, a studio he co-founded with Microsoft in 1995. DreamWorks itself was founded in '94, and the gaming branch was the '95 joint venture with MS.
DreamWorks was developing a WWII-themed FPS game with Spielberg. He didn't just lend his name; he was heavily involved in the whole production, handling the concept and the entire story structure.
- Wife Amy Irving and son Max Spielberg - There's a famous anecdote about how this game came to be: Spielberg saw his son Max playing the legendary N64 masterpiece GoldenEye 007 with his friends.
Seeing that inspired him to make a WWII game. Max later even participated as a playtester and helped out passionately.
When Spielberg was making the game with DreamWorks, he wanted to create something that wasn't just fun, but also historical, serious, and educational.
At the time, the FPS market considered WWII to be 'old history' and not a very popular theme, so the DreamWorks devs were actually pretty hesitant about Spielberg's proposal.
As mentioned, Spielberg wanted to capture both commercial success and gravity. During the process of making a war-themed game, he invited real veterans to get their direct opinions, which led to a major hurdle.
When they were choosing a title, they wanted to call it 'Medal of Honor'...
- 101st Airborne Captain Paul Bucha - A Vietnam vet, Medal of Honor recipient, and the president of the Medal of Honor Society at the time. When he met Spielberg, he was extremely negative about the title.
- During the award ceremony - Bucha seriously explained the meaning, symbolism, and weight of the Medal of Honor and opposed its commercialization.
- Peter Hirschmann - Spielberg and the producer at the time, Peter Hirschmann, showed him a demo video of the game.
- Lt. Alexander Nininger, the first US MoH recipient of WWII - They appealed to him by explaining the game's direction—that they weren't glorifying war or treating it like a joke, but were being dead serious.
Bucha was eventually convinced and the Society gave their support. Spielberg was so invested in the project that he apparently felt a sense of despair when Bucha initially opposed it.
Through all those hurdles, the WWII FPS 'Medal of Honor' was born in 1999.
For the production, Spielberg brought in Dale Dye, a retired Marine Captain and veteran who frequently served as a military advisor for movies and dramas.
Dale Dye, who advised on Saving Private Ryan and many other war films, is a familiar face to many for his role as Colonel Robert Sink in Band of Brothers.
The OST was composed by the famous Michael Giacchino, who also went on to score the sequels.
Upon release, Medal of Honor was a massive success, selling over 2.6 million copies worldwide.
Both players and gaming outlets gave it rave reviews. Spielberg and the team's efforts didn't go to waste.
Following its success, Spielberg participated in 'Medal of Honor: Underground,' featuring a female French Resistance protagonist.
- At the French Consulate in Manhattan with Resistance fighter Helene (center) - Underground was also a success in both sales and reviews. It was made after interviewing real members of the French Resistance and doing extensive research.
Later, DreamWorks Interactive was acquired by EA Games, and the MoH IP went to EA as well.
EA wanted to scale the console-based MoH into a major PC FPS and collaborated with 2015 Company, a proven studio in Oklahoma.
The result was EA's first MoH title, 'Medal of Honor: Allied Assault,' which was a huge hit.
Of course, since the developer changed, it featured more cinematic direction and enhanced gameplay compared to previous entries.
One of the missions, the Omaha Beach landing, is famous for being a direct homage to Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.
With expansions like Spearhead and Breakthrough, the MoH series became one of the most famous WWII FPS franchises, even as the developers changed.
As a side note, the core staff who left 2015 Company went on to form Infinity Ward, the creators of the Call of Duty series.
Later, EA's own LA studio released 'Medal of Honor: Frontline' on consoles, which was another massive blockbuster.
Following these successes, EA kept releasing new MOH titles to the delight of gamers, but...
They eventually lost out to industry giants like Call of Duty and Battlefield, along with other FPS competitors.
They fell behind in the trend war as the FPS market shifted from WWII to modern warfare.
With the poor performance and failure of 'Medal of Honor: Warfighter' in 2012, the series sadly became a forgotten franchise.
그리고 2차 대전에서 현대전으로 넘어간 FPS 시장의 트렌드 싸움에서 완전히 밀렸으며
2012년 메달 오브 아너 워파이터의 부진과 실패로 메달 오브 아너 시리즈는 아쉽게도 사실상 사람들에게 잊힌 게임이 되고 만다.
"Gamers are getting a hit of nostalgia, reminiscing about when 'eye-rotting' graphics felt like real life and being surprised that Spielberg was the actual brains behind the legendary franchise."
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