Beneath the iconic Warner Bros. logo, attendees at E3 could pretend to be a wizard, or Batman, or a protector of Middle Earth, or even a cheerleader going after zombies with a chainsaw. Burbank-based Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment went out in full force to promote its upcoming game slate, many of which are based on popular film franchises. The Harry Potter series may have ended, but “Harry Potter for Kinect” aims to keep the teen wizard and his friends in the minds and hands of their fans. The game, an exclusive for the Xbox 360 set, is planned for a fall release in the U.S. It uses scanning technology for players to create their own avatar and controller-free and voice recognition technology for interaction with characters in the game. Being on the Kinect platform makes players truly active participants, said Samantha Ryan, senior vice president of production and development for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The fantasy world of “The Lord of the Rings” gets the videogame treatment in two games — “Of Orcs and Men,” which Warner Bros. Interactive releases this summer, and “Guardians of Middle Earth,” which hits stores in advance of Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the prequel to the “Rings” trilogy. Other Warner Bros. Interactive games previewed at E3 include “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” in which DC Comics super heroes square off against villains bent on destroying Earth; the enhanced Armored Edition of “Batman: Arkham City;” “LEGO Batman 2;” puzzle game “Scribblenauts Unlimited” for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS; and “Lollipop Chainsaw,” in which the lethally blonde Juliet, a cheerleader at San Romero High School, has a double life as a zombie hunter, cutting down the undead with a chainsaw.
WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT BURBANK
