Wright has been toying with traditional linear entertainment during the past year, creating several five-minute episodes of "M.Y. Robot" that were written by Lew Morton of "The Simpsons" and "Futurama." The original show concept blended puppetry with animation and was set in feudal Japan but dealt with modern-day suburban situations.
Wright also experimented with a life-sized remote-controlled robot as a concept for a reality TV show. Wright and partners Michael Winter and Marc Thorpe built the robot and then brought it into public situations to study how people interact with machines. The show concept blended comedy with human psychology.
Those projects and others came out of Wright's Berkeley, Calif.-based Stupid Fun Club. He said he spends what little free time he has working with robots in that studio.
Currently keeping him away from robots, however, are several new video game projects, including "The Sims 2" for PC; "The Sims Bustin' Loose" for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube; "Sim City: Rush Hour" for PC; and some new unannounced game franchises.
While Wright said he wants to start with a clean slate with his Fox deal, he would like to explore the themes of these earlier projects.
"I'd like to fast-forward into the future a bit and explore how machines and artificial intelligence will impact human beings and how robots will help us define ourselves," Wright said. "The trick is going to be to hook a mass audience with a new concept and then Trojan-horse these ideas into the show."
Wright said there are a lot of things that he has learned in creating original franchises for interactive entertainment that he can apply to linear entertainment.
"I think there are ways to get a deeper level of creative input from an audience of a TV show," Wright said. "I'd like to explore ways to connect the loop between a show and its audience, going beyond the current methods of phoning in a vote."
Wright's most famous creation, "The Sims," which has shipped more than 25 million units worldwide during the past three years, also may be heading to the small screen in a separate deal. After a deal to turn the best-selling game property into a live-action TV show with Columbia TriStar TV fell through, there are now new talks with a different suitor.
"The Sims" made its TV debut on ABC's "The Drew Carey Show" and has appeared in an episode of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle." It also has been parodied on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."