Ever since Will Wright left EA, the gaming world has wondered what his next epic undertaking would look like. The designer who engineered "Sim City," "The Sims" and "Spore" set out on his own almost a year ago to do something new, and it now looks like that new thing will be a TV series called "The Creation Project" for Current TV. Unsurprisingly, Wright's interactive design roots show a little bit in the concept's audience participation premise, which seems to be a reality series about crowd-sourcing a new program.
The series will be partially driven by a "StoryMaker Engine" that pools viewer input via online/mobile devices, according to IGN. That system will reportedly gather user-generated storyboards and ideas to create an entirely new show altogether. Once a storyline wins, the show will be produced and air as two half-hour episodes. Wright will be getting a hand from former president of Spike TV and Nickelodeon Albie Hecht, who has signed on to produce, and their final product may show up by the end of 2010.
From the limited information available, it sounds like Wright may be making a bid to become the Simon Cowell of a nuanced "TV Producer Idol" type of program. Anyone familiar with his work knows that he has brains, but will be refreshing to see some cross-industry pollination going on if "The Creation Project" takes off.
Do you think Will Wright will be able to make a TV series series work? What do you think of his pitch? Share your reactions in the comment section below.