Summary
Back in the day, movie games were very common. Seemingly every new release would have a video game tie-in or some completely unrelated original game inspired by the new movie. It was never hard to find games from such popular franchises asIndiana Jonesand007. Movie games from these hit IPs were often developed by highly reputable developers such as LucasArts, Rare, EA, Treyarch, and Eurocom. Over time, however, games from movie properties began to slowly fade into obscurity to the point that they were seemingly lost. That is, untilBethesda’sIndiana Jones and the Great Circleas well as IO Interactive’sProject 007were announced.
After having been announced back in January 2021, Bethesda and MachineGames’Indiana Jones and the Great Circlefinally received its release date during an Xbox developer direct in January 2024. Set to be released in 2024, this originalIndiana Jonesgame will likely launch beforeProject 007, which does not yet have an official release date. The fact thatIndiana Jonesis set to be released first could either make or break the release of007by setting an expectation of what modern games based on movie characters should be. It has been a long time since either of these IPs have been made into AAA games, and regardless of how different they may be, they will likely still be compared to one another.
How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Can Make Or Break The James Bond Game
Bethesda Is Resetting The Standard Of Movie Games
The modern landscape of game development is very different from what it was at the height of movie franchise video games. LucasArtsIndiana Jonespoint-and-click games such asIndiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantiswere the pinnacle of the classic film franchise in gaming at the time, although the platformers were also great. It seems that Bethesda and MachineGames are looking to capture both the cinematic storytelling and exciting action gameplay that one would expect from anIndiana Jonesgame while innovating for the future.
Althoughexecutive producer Todd Howardhas many successful games under his belt, his track record is not without criticism. Some fans often criticize a lack of polish or missing mechanics in the games he has directed at Bethesda, particularly the modern releases. Examples of this are in games such asStarfieldandFallout 4,which have both been topics of extended debate.
As games become larger and more complex to develop, they are occasionally released without all the features that were planned or promised. IfIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis to succeed, it will have to launch as a fully polished game.
IO Interactive Is Prepared To Make 007
If MachineGame’sIndiana Jonesis a huge success, all eyes will be on007to live up to the hype. Regardless, though,Project 007is likely to be a strong contender and a unique game in its own right. Though not necessarily a direct competitor toIndy, the fact that they are both modern “movie games” and thatIndiana Joneswas originally in some waysinspired by theJamesBondfilms, they will likely be compared to one another.
Much like MachineGames' past in theWolfensteinfranchise has prepared it to makeIndiana Jones, IO Interactive’s experience with theHitmangames has set the developer up for success withProject 007. The popularity ofHitmanhas only grown over the years, and its successful formula seems like the ideal foundation for the007game. IO will have the popularity of both IPs on its sidewhenProject 007is releasedin the future. Though it may be a long way away still, the success ofProject 007will inevitably be couched in the context ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Bethesda
Bethesda is an American game development studio based in Maryland. They’re best known for the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. ZeniMax Media, Bethesda’s parent company, was acquired by Microsoft in 2021, which then made it a part of Xbox Game Studios.
