James Patterson moves into computer games
Michelle Pauli writing in The Guardian, February 6, 2008

The bestselling American thriller writer James Patterson is to develop his fictions into computer games. The first will be based on his Women's Murder Club series, which is already a successful TV show, and is due to be released next year.

The games will be aimed at women and middle-aged people - the "casual games market" who may not own an Xbox or PlayStation. Under the deal with developer Oberon Publishing, the games will be available for PCs, online, through mobile phones and, possibly, for Nintendo's Wii. They will be distributed through non-traditional games retailers, such as bookshops.

"The casual games market is right where I am, with about 70% of my readers and
their players being female," Patterson told Variety. "A lot of
people who read my books may think they don't like games, and we can reach
that audience for the first time.

"It strikes me that the videogame area is an incredibly lucrative niche market, one populated by a small number of boys - and grown-up boys - who like to shoot things and spend
a lot of money. But that excludes most of the universe," he told the
Hollywood Reporter. "What I love about this project is the chance to
widen the boundaries of what people can do on the small screen, sort of like
what the Wii is accomplishing."

The Women's Murder Club game is expected to be the first of a series branded with James Patterson's name. Some will be based on existing books and others on new stories. Among
Patterson's most popular books are those featuring Alex Cross, an
African-American forensic psychologist.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the games are being designed by veteran developer Jane Jensen, using input and feedback from Patterson.

While the market Patterson is aiming for is unusual, it is not the first time that a popular author has given their name to a computer game. Tom Clancy was an early adopter,
co-founding the computer game developer Red Storm Entertainment in 1996. The
company, now owned by Ubisoft, continues to produce first/third-person
shooters under his name. Games based on Robert Ludlum's books, further
popularised by the hugely successful Bourne films featuring Matt Damon, are
also in progress.