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Deadpool is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by High Moon Studios and based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. Written by veteran Deadpool writer Daniel Way, the game is inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the storyline, the wisecracking, mentally unstable Deadpool (Nolan North), a mutant mercenary, forces High Moon to develop a game starring himself. Deadpool is tasked with assassinating corrupt media mogul Chance White, but is soon brought into conflict with longtime X-Men foe Mister Sinister, whose evil plans will lead to the destruction of the world.

Gameplay

 * https://www.superherohype.com/news/175213-deadpool-games-gets-a-mature-rating
 * https://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/diving-into-deadpool-at-gamescom/

Development
Activision, High Moon Studios, and Marvel announced Deadpool at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 14, 2012. The game was developed by High Moon; Sean Miller directed, while longtime Deadpool scribe Daniel Way wrote the story. Prior to development, High Moon did not plan on making a Deadpool game. Activision and Marvel, which at the time were in a licensing agreement that allowed Activision to publish games featuring Marvel characters, were interested in a game featuring the character. According to creative director Dave Cravens, "Marvel and Activision had been waiting for the right match with a developer for a long time. [High Moon's] schedule opened up, and we all thought the synergy was there to move forward." High Moon developed Deadpool using Unreal Engine 3, the game engine it used to make Transformers-based games. During development, the team "embraced the character fully", with some staff wearing Deadpool-themed clothes.

While Marvel gave High Moon some ideas to start, the team had a considerable amount of freedom in creating Deadpool.

Deadpool is one of the most expensive video games ever made, with an estimated production budget of $100 million. The game was completed in April 2013. Shortly after development ended, 40 High Moon employees (including most of the Deadpool team) were laid off.

Marvel worked closely with High Moon to ensure the characters were treated respectfully.
 * https://www.polygon.com/2013/5/8/4310666/deadpool-how-high-moon-studios-managed-the-merc-with-a-mouth
 * High Moon feared Deadpool would come off as an annoying protagonist because of his unique character traits, such as his tendencies to break the fourth wall and make crude jokes. The team avoided this by "fully committing to the character" and embracing his unapologetic nature.
 * "A lot of time went into balancing the character and how much he talks. His nickname is the Merc with a Mouth, so he is talking all the time and it could be very irritating, so there was a lot of playtesting, a lot of getting people's first takes on it, and figuring out how much is too much and how much is not enough."
 * It was important for High Moon to balance Deadpool's irritating and enjoyable characteristics.
 * Another way High Moon stayed faithful to the Deadpool comics was by "not chickening out on any aspect of his personality."


 * https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-16-deadpool-and-the-challenge-of-making-a-comedy-brawler
 * Extreme violence was an important aspect when designing the game.
 * Making Deadpool funny was one of High Moon's biggest challenges, as focusing too much on humor would make the game boring while focusing too little would fail to make it stand out.
 * Game director Sean Miller said the Deadpool character allowed High Moon to move away from the style of a traditional action-adventure game, but the team encountered "the problem of sustaining that comedy over a period of time."
 * Towards the beginning of development, High Moon made a lengthy prototype to ensure they could make the humor last.
 * High Moon decided to make the humor contextual, reflecting the player's actions as well as the game's situations and environments. This allowed the team to avoid the same jokers over and over.
 * According to Miller, the team had a good sense of humor and were able to have fun with it making Deadpool. Daniel Way helped the team make sure their ideas were in line with the Deadpool comics.
 * Including Deadpool's womanizing characteristics was important


 * https://www.videogamer.com/news/how-much-is-too-much-deadpools-game-director-talks-humour
 * High Moon was attracted to Deadpool because of his offbeat nature.
 * Marvel was interested in a game about Deadpool. Both parties were interested in exploring the oddball nature of the character.
 * High Moon told Marvel what they wanted to do with Deadpool, such as poking fun at comics and video games. Knowing Marvel agreed with their approach was liberating.
 * Because of Deadpool's "fractured personality," the team was able to let their imaginations "run amok."
 * Having a character who doesn't take anything seriously made the team feel like they were bringing something fresh to the action-adventure and superhero genres.
 * Marvel worked closely with High Moon to ensure that the characters were treated respectfully. For example, only Deadpool realizes he is fictional.
 * High Moon retained the misogynistic and sexist aspects of the Deadpool character but avoided making the game deliberately offensive. "[Deadpool] doesn't understand why what he does is inappropriate, and again that's part of the humour."
 * Maintaining the pace of the humor was hard, as High Moon had to balance it with the gameplay. Making the humor contextual helped. They used a variety of humor types, including juvenile humor and pop culture references.
 * Without the team's sense of humor, Miller said, "I don't think we could have made this game." It gave them an opportunity to make fun of themselves and the industry as a whole.


 * https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-09-06-deadpool-has-taken-over-says-high-moon-manager
 * High Moon applied lessons they learned while making Transformers games to Deadpool
 * "What we do best at High Moon is identify what it is that we as fans love about these characters and then use that as a core part of our campaign."
 * The team "embraced the character fully", with some staff wearing Deadpool-themed clothes.


 * https://www.godisageek.com/2013/06/interview-high-moon-studios-senior-creative-director-dave-cravens-talks-deadpool/
 * Marvel gave High Moon some ideas to start, but the team otherwise had a considerable amount of freedom in creating Deadpool.
 * High Moon was never pressured to tone down the adult themes of Deadpool
 * Daniel Way's interpretation of Deadpool was the biggest influence, primarily because of his involvement with the project. Some staff, including creative director Dave Cravens, were unsure how much fun a Deadpool game could be until they met Way: "The man’s enthusiasm and philosophy on the character was intoxicating. He was a great resource to pull from."
 * Humor was a primary challenge. The team sometimes wanted to change the jokes because they heard them too many times. Trial-and-error.
 * Nolan North reprises his role from Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.
 * For storytelling and characterization, Deadpool's immortality was liberating.
 * Making Deadpool break the fourth wall was not hard; the challenge came in balancing it (too much vs. too little)
 * While the entire story is scripted, High Moon let North and the other voice actors improvise
 * The game uses Deadpool's multiple personalities to explain game mechanics. Cravens said High Moon thought it was fun "to call out what we thought the player might be thinking".
 * Mister Sinister was chosen as the main antagonist primarily because he and Deadpool are "polar opposites". His status as a classic X-Men villain also influenced the decision.


 * http://www.mtv.com/news/2466998/high-moon-deadpool-layoffs/ and https://kotaku.com/activision-lays-off-high-moon-studios-deadpool-team-466330803
 * As development wrapped up, 40 High Moon employees (including most of the Deadpool team) were laid off.


 * https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/7/20/3171540/deadpool-game-being-penned-by-series-author-daniel-way
 * Peter Della Penna said High Moon was not planning on making a Deadpool game

Release

 * http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/31070/deadpool-game-announced-no-platforms-given
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20120718064754/http://marvel.com/news/story/19070/deadpool_announces_the_deadpool_game
 * https://www.cinemablend.com/games/1725629/the-deadpool-game-is-being-pulled-from-digital-stores-again
 * https://www.polygon.com/2013/6/27/4469534/sony-to-refund-gamers-who-bought-deadpool-at-an-inflated-psn-price
 * https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/activision-marvels-partnership-comes-end/
 * https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-01-activision-ports-deadpool-to-ps4-and-xbox-one
 * https://screenrant.com/deadpool-video-game-ps4-xbox-one/
 * https://www.polygon.com/2013/7/31/4574242/deadpool-gets-merc-with-a-map-pack-dlc-for-xbox-360-ps3-and-pc

Reception

 * https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/25/deadpool-review
 * https://www.destructoid.com/review-deadpool-257138.phtml
 * http://www.egmnow.com/articles/reviews/egm-review-deadpool/
 * https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-25-deadpool-review
 * https://www.gameinformer.com/games/deadpool/b/xbox360/archive/2013/06/25/slayed-by-the-merc-with-a-mouth.aspx
 * https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/reviews/10458-Deadpool-Review-Hit-or-Miss-Humor-Solid-Action
 * https://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/deadpool-review/1900-581/
 * https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/60786-deadpool-review
 * http://www.siliconera.com/2013/07/18/the-last-of-us-and-deadpool-debut-in-junes-u-s-sales-chart/
 * https://www.shacknews.com/article/93205/chimichangas-a-brief-history-of-deadpool-in-video-games
 * https://kotaku.com/deadpool-the-kotaku-review-569351470