Tom Hanks Makes a Videogame

The producers behind Band of Brothers try their hand at mobile gaming.

Tom Hanks is widely recognized for his acting, directing, and even producing credits. Now he can add videogames to his already impressive resume. Hanks’ production company Playtone and mobile developer Jump Games have just released Electric City: The Revolt for 99 cents on Android and iOS platforms. The game has been launched in conjunction with the webseries Electric City, created by and starring Hanks.

“We always knew that Electric City was a big, multidimensional story, and that it made sense to present it in a non-traditional way,” said Playtone co-founder Gary Goetzman. “We felt that games and mobile content would be a great way to explore back story and push the parameters of our world.”

Electric City is set in a technological utopia formed in the wake of an apocalyptic global catastrophe. It centers on Cleveland Carr, a grid operative who takes orders from the mysterious “knitting society” that runs the city with an iron fist and controls all information from behind the scenes. The mobile game version follows secondary character Frank Deetleman, a technician working for rebel forces from outside the city.

Playtone is best known for its production work on HBO historical dramas like Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific. Playtone briefly dipped into science fiction with City of Ember, but this series appears to be a take a very different direction with the genre.

Both the series and game are available through downloadable apps through Android’s Google Play and the iTunes App Store. Alternatively, you can also watch the series on the Yahoo Screen Video Platform. Twenty episodes have been planned, with ten currently available.

Source: VentureBeat, via Games Industry International