Video game designers land on 'Project Runway' show

Oct 16, 2009 (Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ATAR | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- A team of Tulsans has become the designer for the TV reality show "Project Runway," but they've got challenges on their minds other than creating evening wear out of newsprint.

Tulsa-based video game designer Tornado Studios is now creating the official "Project Runway" video game for Weinstein Co., which produces the show. Atari Inc. will publish the game, due out early next year.

Tom Kudirka, president of Tornado Studios, said he's proud that his company's in-development fashion game for the Nintendo Wii now has backing from not just one but two powerful entities.

"We're very fortunate that someone saw the quality of the game and wanted to attach such a big license to it," he said.

Kudirka, whose studio released games such as "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Men of Valor" under the name 2015 Studios, shifted gears recently with the creation of Tornado Studios. Instead of making intense action games, Tornado is more focused on titles that can be enjoyed by families and casual gamers who are buying more and more video games.

Tornado's first Wii venture was initially planned as "World of Fashion," a game that would allow players to quickly and easily create their own fashions, customize a model's hair and makeup, and then direct the model on the runway.

The problem was attracting a publisher who would manufacture the game, get it to store shelves and market it. Tornado signed up with Atari for those functions this summer and quickly discovered that the publisher had big plans for its baby.

"They wanted to make it a big game, so they

wanted it to have the biggest fashion license they could," Kudirka said.

After a demonstration for Weinstein, "World of Fashion" was approved for a "Project Runway" makeover.

The core of the game remains the same, as do the stylized visuals. But now the game options include a "season" mode, which will require players to score high enough on a variety of challenges based on the show.

Some of the challenges will be based on past seasons, but many will mirror the challenges being endured by the new contestants right now as "Project Runway" films its seventh season. Kudirka said Weinstein sends Tornado pictures and videos from the filming on an almost-daily basis so the company can incorporate them into the game. Just don't ask Kudirka who will win.

"They've already told us they won't show us the last two episodes," he said. "They absolutely don't want anyone to know ahead of time."

Although Kudirka estimated the game will be finished within 60 days, Atari will wait until March to release it so it coincides with the new season of "Project Runway." The game could be the first in a series.

"Atari said they'd like to work with them on a new game each season, so we may be doing it again," Kudirka said.

That's not to say he's abandoned his roots. Next year, he plans to work on an "intense" action game for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

"It'll make 'Medal of Honor' look like kindergarten," Kudirka said.

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