"Law & Order" video game targets wider audience

[Brian Damage]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Legacy Interactive is trying something unusual with its latest game based on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

Consumers are being offered the option to buy it in separate installments from NBC.com as well as from more common sources like Yahoo! Games.

"We're targeting a different market that didn't know there even was a PC game with this downloadable, episodic content," Legacy Interactive producer Craig Brannon said. "Most casual games customers don't go to Best Buy. They find games while sitting at home."



He said the company is testing the episodic market with "Criminal Intent," and if successful, the firm might follow this model with another Hollywood PC CD-ROM game, "ER."

There will be four installments of "Law & Order: Vengeful Heart," the first of which already is available for free to try or for $20 to purchase. The entire four-episode game also is available on CD-ROM for $30 at retailers and from NBC.com.

"If all goes well, we hope to do original episodic games going forward," Brannon said. Existing "L&O" games won't translate to episodic content because they follow a single, extended story line, he added.

"Vengeful Heart" features the likenesses and voices of Vincent D'Onofrio (Detective Goren) and Jamey Sheridan (Capt. Deakins). Players control Goren's movements in the game and follow an original story line not seen on the show.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter