Summary
- Michael Myers has made a mark in Hollywood, but now he's making his way into the gaming world with a new Halloween video game.
- Fans can expect not just one, but two games based on the Halloween franchise, developed with help from movie producers and John Carpenter.
- The games will likely draw inspiration from the original 1979 film, rather than the entire series, and will offer players a chance to relive iconic movie moments.
Michael Myers may have slashed his way through Hollywood but now he's stalking a different form of entertainment in a new official Halloween video game. Despite having a major impact on genre filmmaking and establishing a devoted fanbase, Halloween hasn't made a dent in the video game industry; in fact, the franchise has only received one interactive adaptation in the form of the self-titled 1983 game for the Atari 2600. That's about to change as legendary filmmaker and series creator John Carpenter is working to bring Michael to consoles.
Per IGN, Boss Team Games, the developer behind the cult-classic Evil Dead: The Game, announced that it's secured the rights to create two games based on Halloween, both of which are being developed with the help of several producers of the movies. Carpenter, a legendary horror director and self-professed gamer, is contributing to at least one of the titles that is being built in Unreal Engine 5. While details on the projects are scarce, the descriptions note that Boss Team Games wants to allow players a chance to "relive moments from the film" and play as beloved, recognizable characters.
Halloween: Why Michael Myers Is Called The Shape
The first Halloween film referred to Michael Myers as "The Shape", and there's an interesting origin to the name that fits the character quite well.
Michael Myers' Video Game History
Not As Big A CV As One Might Expect
It's worth noting that the description particularly mentions the singular "film," suggesting that the Halloween games will take most of their inspiration from the 1979 classic rather than the entire series. That could just be an error, but it's still interesting that Boss Team Games may be focusing on faithfully recreating the original installment in the franchise rather than trying to squeeze in every sequel and reboot. Neither Halloween game has a release date but they're likely still a ways off.
Despite Michael Myers' impact on horror, the twisted killer doesn't have a prolific career in video games. Beyond the aforementioned title released on the Atari 2600, The Shape has largely served as a guest character in other properties, most notably Dead By Daylight where he's one of the playable killers. The Shape has also appeared in Call of Duty: Ghosts, Terrordrome: Rise of the Boogeymen, and even Fortnite. Rumors have swirled for years that he's been in the running to feature in Mortal Kombat but these have never come to fruition.
It's difficult to say what kind of genre Halloween will tackle with its video game adaptation. Boss Team Games has a history of developing asymmetrical multiplayer horror experiences and given the genre's popularity, this may be the direction it takes. Whether that's true remains to be seen but one has to imagine a survival horror game in the vein of Alien: Isolation would also be great fun.
Source: IGN
