God of War inspired Last Ronin Game in Development

[RaphaelinSTL]

Breaking from Polygon today.

Beloved TMNT graphic novel The Last Ronin is becoming a video game

A new, very different style of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is currently in development: an adaptation of The Last Ronin, the 2020 graphic novel that told a grim, futuristic story about the turtles.

Like the comic, The Last Ronin video game adaptation will be a darker, more mature take on the typically colorful Ninja Turtles, according to Doug Rosen, senior vice president for games and emerging media at Paramount Global, the rights holders for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In an interview with Polygon last week, Rosen likened the upcoming third-person action role-playing game to Sony’s recent God of War titles and said it will be authentic to the story of The Last Ronin arc, which is set in a future where only one of the turtles has survived.

While other TMNT games, like last year’s Shredder’s Revenge, are typically about playing as all four turtles (and sometimes their allies Splinter, April O’Neil, and Casey Jones), The Last Ronin will be a primarily a single-character game. Though Rosen posited that other characters could be playable in flashback sequences, similar to how the comic series plays out, the primary action is said to center on the only surviving turtle.

Looks to be still in development and the "few years off from release" worries me a bit, but exciting news!

[AquaParade]

lol holy crap. I told y'all TLR would be huge for the brand.

I got a surprising amount of blowback here which is why I'm tooting my horn.

[RaphaelinSTL]

The "there are opportunities for multiple TMNT games aimed at both young and more mature age groups, and that Paramount can take “multiple approaches [to the franchise], and not dial back to make the game something it shouldn’t be” part of the interview in the article sounds very promising too.

[Aaronardo]

Originally Posted by RaphaelinSTL

"there are opportunities for multiple TMNT games aimed at both young and more mature age groups, and that Paramount can take “multiple approaches [to the franchise], and not dial back to make the game something it shouldn’t be”

That caught my eye, too. This is amazing news. On a conceptual level, this is exactly what I hoped would happen. If done right, this could be something special.

Originally Posted by RaphaelinSTL

So would be the studio you would all trust to work and do actual justice on this game?

Sloclap's Sifu from last year was basically a TLR game but as a human instead of a turtle. The combat itself was surprisingly challenging and fun. Them being an indie studio, I could see Paramount offering Sloclap this and I think they could handle it really well.

I know they bungled the last one and they seem to be distancing themselves from IP work now, but I'd be good with PlatinumGames taking another whack at it. Capcom would be a fairly respectable choice too, though they're a bigger studio. I doubt Paramount's going to go after higher-profile studios for a project like this, especially since working with a smaller studio paid so well with Shredder's Revenge. Not sure if I'd like to be wrong on this or not, given the state of AAA games.

[Cowabung-Gal]

It was only a matter of time.

It just hope that Abby Anderson doesn’t appear and smash Michelangelo’s head in with a golf club.

[AquaParade]

This is going to keep escalating. An animated adaption is already in the works, I guarantee. We may even get a premium series or movie at some point.

[Allio]

My favorite part of the game was when Mikey said “it isn’t about the last ronin, it was about the last Ron-us”

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

This is going to keep escalating. An animated adaption is already in the works, I guarantee. We may even get a premium series or movie at some point.

It'll probably get a quick adaption like all the DC movies and the Batman vs TMNT movie.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It'll probably get a quick adaption like all the DC movies and the Batman vs TMNT movie.

I expect something like that too, but it needs a bigger budget. Those recent DC movies look and sound cheap. Maybe a more premium series for Paramount+ or something can be worked out.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I expect something like that too, but it needs a bigger budget. Those recent DC movies look and sound cheap. Maybe a more premium series for Paramount+ or something can be worked out.

It'll be exactly like those, and the animated adaption probably won't be 1:1 with the comic but condense or change things, same as the Batman/TMNT crossover movie.

Just expect a straight to DVD/streaming movie adaption of it at most.

[Dpooly84]

I'm all in for this! Let's go

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by RaphaelinSTL

Looks to be still in development and the "few years off from release" worries me a bit, but exciting news!

Might be cool. Seems like the kind of game that runs the risk of overpromising, will miss a few release dates, then run out of money and be dumped out without much fanfare but with bugs.

[RaphaelinSTL]

Essentially most AAA titles then, haha.

[CyberCubed]

This game won't be out for 3-4 years if it's a real AAA game and not some short thing. By then The Last Ronin comic will he a distant memory, I have no idea why they think interest in the comic will he around another 4 years from now.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

This game won't be out for 3-4 years if it's a real AAA game and not some short thing. By then The Last Ronin comic will he a distant memory, I have no idea why they think interest in the comic will he around another 4 years from now.

I don’t see the issue. The comic may still be around then, as it’s an ongoing universe now. They are looking at the hardcover as an “evergreen book” and you can’t blame them. It’s still selling incredibly well. Better than any other tmnt comic ever.

There is also the fact that it’ll still be a tmnt property, so it’s marketable even if TLR disappears tomorrow, which it won’t. But your comment is interesting.
Maybe they have even more planned for the universe than they are letting on.

Either way, this is a good route to take the video game because they are aiming it at older fans, which TLR is suited for.

Also, I get the feeling they haven’t chosen a developer yet and it’s hard to get too excited until we know. This feels like a way to drum up excitement and secure a partner.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I don’t see the issue. The comic may still be around then, as it’s an ongoing universe now. They are looking at the hardcover as an “evergreen book” and you can’t blame them. It’s still selling incredibly well. Better than any other tmnt comic ever.

There is also the fact that it’ll still be a tmnt property, so it’s marketable even if TLR disappears tomorrow, which it won’t. But your comment is interesting.
Maybe they have even more planned for the universe than they are letting on.

Either way, this is a good route to take the video game because they are aiming it at older fans, which TLR is suited for.

IDW as a whole might not even exist 4 years from now. Also I assume after the prequel comic ends that will be it for this universe. There's not much else they can do with it since all the Turtles are dead and further prequels would be absurd.

[Wednesday's Serial]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

This game won't be out for 3-4 years if it's a real AAA game and not some short thing. By then The Last Ronin comic will he a distant memory, I have no idea why they think interest in the comic will he around another 4 years from now.

Hey the Watchmen game(s) came out decades later, and look how those turned out.

[Cowabung-Gal]

I wonder if this game will also adapt the Lost Years series. Imagine all the mutants Mikey would face in the gladiator games, maybe some old recognizable faces like Antrax or Groundchuck:

[Toxin45]

I mean last ronin is completed so they will adapt the series into a full game. Plus we have a prequel that is releasing now and an upcoming sequel series so if they get completed we can get them into games.

[DevilSpooky]

Black Forest Games made the fantastic Destroy All Humans remakes, a quasi-open world like those two can do wonders for the ip, i can just imagine hoping from rooftop to rooftop on a similar engine.

And if they also release a similar collector's edition to the 2 DAH remakes i'll loose my sh*t.

Bottom line is, i'm optimistic and have full confidence on BFG and THQ, they've been doing wonders for dormant IPs latelly, and BFG in particular are really passionate about the projects they've handled and have been more in tune with the fanbases that came with them, and that's at least more than you can say about Paramount and Nickelodeon.