A minor history of interactive movies: Brilliant Digital Entertainment and the dot-com bubble

Abstract

This article conducts a genealogical analysis of Brilliant Digital Entertainment’s multipath movies as a minor history of videogames. Brilliant Digital Entertainment was a company that, from its formation in 1996 until the dot-com bust of 2001, released what they dubbed ‘multipath movies’. These were 3D animated interactive movies based on popular IP like Superman, Xena: Warrior Princess and more that allowed players to make decisions at key moments. These multipath movies emerged at a time of increasing synergy between Hollywood cinema and videogames in the 1990s. Through an analysis of Brilliant Digital Entertainment’s brief venture, this article examines the wider cultural, technological ..