Summary
The picture surrounding Bethesda’s mysteriousIndiana Jonesgame has become slightly clearer as an update is given regarding how long it’s been in development.Indiana Jones,which is being made by Bethesda’sWolfensteinstudio MachineGames and executive produced by Todd Howard, had been revealed with a short teaser trailer way back in early 2021. The project is a first for MachineGames, which has only ever madeWolfensteinandQuakesince its 2009 inception, and a rarity for Bethesda which seldom engages with licensed properties.
As the nature of this newIndiana Jonesgame has remained a mystery, so too has its status as an Xbox exclusive title until the Xbox vs FTC hearings earlier this Summer. The arduous hearings uncovered thatIndiana Joneswas originally set to be a multiplatform titlebefore Bethesda became part of the Xbox family. Once the acquisition of Bethesda went through, Xbox renegotiated theIndiana Jonesdeal with Lucasfilm Games to haveIndiana Jonesexclusive to its ecosystem, as its developer MachineGames is now a first-party Xbox studio.
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MachineGames' progress onIndiana Joneshas become a bit clearer to eager fans. In an interview feature by GQ withTodd Howard delving into the production ofStarfieldahead of the massive space RPG’s imminent release, MachineGames’Indiana Joneswas brought up. It was revealed that this new title featuring the legendary treasure hunter is about midway through its development. This coming January will be three years sinceIndiana Joneswas first revealed. With that, it’s safe to assume that the announcement was made with the game in pre-production or very early on in its actual development.
WhetherIndiana Joneswill be first-person or third-person still remains a mystery. Up to this point, MachineGames has only shipped first-person titles, but it’s surely difficult for fans to imagine playing asIndiana Jonesin first-person. Todd Howard had previously stated thatIndiana Joneswill be a “mashup"when asked about the game’s genre late last year. What that means in terms of whether the game is primarily first or third-person is still undetermined. Some believe a third-personIndiana Jonestitle is a great opportunity for MachineGames to spread its wings and for Xbox to fill that third-person action adventure gap it still has in its exclusive portfolio.
WithIndiana Jonesreportedly halfway through development, it’ll likely still be a while before fans will be able to learn more about the enigmatic MachineGames “mashup” title. It’s probable thatIndiana Joneswon’t be looking to launch until somewhere around 2025 at the earliest. With that said, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility to begin seeing gameplay as early as next year, either at Xbox’s annual summer showcaseor potentially at The Game Awards2024.
Indiana Jonesis in development for PC and Xbox Series X|S.
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