GamesIndustry.biz was able to speak with Dan Ayoub, head of digital product development at Hasbro, on the sidelines of GDC. The man developed his vision for internal projects, starting with an adaptation of GI Joe focusing on the ninja Snake Eyes – but yes, you know, the impeccable killing machine dressed all in black taking down enemy soldiers with a katana. This adaptation should revitalize the GI Joe franchise with a darker vision than usual. And to get there, Hasbro plays a card: the studio Atomic Arcade.
Advertisement
I have a snake in my secret stash
Based in North Carolina, Atomic Arcade has not published anything yet. The Snake Eyes project will be his first baby. But what particularly interests us is its pedigree. Creative director Ames Kirschen has already worked at Marvel (X-Men: Legends, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance) before moving to DC Comics where he helped Rocksteady develop the Batman Arkham franchise in quadrilogy (not counting spin-off games). An interview on the Atomic Arcade website gives some major inspirations for the Snake Eyes game: Captain America for the super-military aesthetic, Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima for the sword fights, as well as Ghost Recon and Metal Gear Solid to add flavor. Ames Kirschen encourages you to watch the animated film GI Joe Resolute on Youtube to get an idea of the overall atmosphere.
As for other studios, Skeleton Key is working on a horror game with a former BioWare employee at its head. In Montreal, Invoke Studios is working on a Dungeons & Dragons very mysterious without the slightest detail specified. Finally, let's not forget the ambitious FPS Exodus, a new science fiction license embodied at the last Game Awards by Matthew McConaughey without managing to make an impact in the media for the moment.
Dan Ayoub intends to approach this expansion with serenity, savvy and restraint. “Video games are a fundamental pillar of Hasbro's strategy for the next 100 years and we must ensure that each product stands at the top of the basket, is authentic, and allows us to scale – because right now, if we speak from a handful of games and studios, we have much bigger ambitions than that.“Ayoub affirms that the projects will remain in development”as long as it takes” to ensure their quality.