Ludlum Entertainment has granted Electronic Arts the exclusive worldwide license to create video games based on the works of Robert Ludlum, including the blockbuster Jason Bourne series. The first game to be released as part of the multi-year agreement is based on Jason Bourne and is currently in development with Starbreeze Studios in Uppsala, Sweden.

“Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne is the most exciting action hero to emerge in decades, thrilling audiences around the world,” said Mike Quigley, group vice president of marketing, EA Games Label. “EA is excited to enter into a long-term relationship with Ludlum Entertainment, bringing the action, intrigue and intensity of Robert Ludlum’s fiction to life for casual and core gamers around the globe.”

“The continued global popularity of Robert Ludlum’s works is a testament to the care he lavished on his characters and storylines,” said Jeffrey Weiner, chairman and CEO of Ludlum Entertainment and executor of the Ludlum estate. “Robert Ludlum made thrilling stories accessible and real. EA has brought that same level of realism to the gaming world. We are confident EA‘s unparalleled production ability and marketing reach will establish the Jason Bourne Series in games as powerfully and successfully as it exists in books and film.”

 

Robert Ludlum's Bourne franchise couldn't have been filmed at a better time. With the Bond movies reaching a peak in 1995 with the release of Goldeneye, a new hero was desperately needed - one who could shake out the starched shirts, dispense with the dry wit and knock back a beer instead of a cocktail. After all, who wants an armoured car with the price of petrol these days?

Jason Bourne is probably the hero of the decade, and with the film series grossing squillions, a video game adaptation was inevitable. As soon as you fire up the game, there's no doubt as to the qualifications of this title, as you're greeted with logo after logo - Unreal, Sierra, High Moon, Ageia PhysX and THQ all make an appearance. However, Matt Damon doesn't, as he's otherwise occupied elsewhere and couldn't be a part of the video game adaptation.