Update: Check out the game’s official reveal trailer below!
AMC’s The Walking Dead is still rolling along as one of the biggest and most watched television dramas on the network. Soon enough, fans of the show will get the chance to enter the show’s world in a brand new mobile video game that’s being produced for smartphones and tablets. Here’s everything you need to know about the game, who’s creating it and when you can expect to finally play it for yourselves.
1. AMC is Partnering With Next Games to Produce The Walking Dead Mobile Game
AMC chose the video game developers at Next Games to produce a mobile video game for their Walking Dead TV drama. AMC President Charlie Collier released a statement on why AMC chose to enter a partnership with Next Games for this huge project:
We chose to team up with Next Games because of their outstanding creative and technical talent, as well as a willingness to re-imagine the unique and compelling world of The Walking Dead, which has built a significant and passionate global fan community. We’re thrilled to be part of this next wave of games innovation and participating in a project that – like the show itself – is in service of the fans.
2. This Mobile Game Will Launch Alongside Season 5 of the Show
The details sorrounding what the game will actually entail are still under wraps, but this much is known – the game is expected to launch sometime around the debut of the 5th season of The Walking Dead. Fans can expect to watch the premier episodes in October 2014.
3. Next Games Was Founded By Some of the Creators Behind Angry Birds
Next Games is a video game development company that was originally founded in Helsinki, Finland in 2013. Several of the design veterans from companies such as Rovio, Supercell and Disney joined together in order to form this newfound video game establishment. Rovio is most known for housing the brilliant minds behind the mobile gaming hit known as Angry Birds. So far, this gaming-based startup company has raised $6-million in venture funding. Next Games’ mission statement is as follows:
Next Games has assembled a team with a profound love for games and a burning desire to develop lasting global entertainment.
4. The Game is Being Developed to Be A Massive Adventure
This still-in-development mobile game is already being said to be a huge game that contain the against-all-odds action, character drama and constant feeling of tension the TV series is most known for. Teemu Huuhtanen, CEO at Next Games, also released a statement regarding his company’s plans for the mobile game:
Our take on the undead survival franchise will match the against-all-odds action and moment-to-moment tension of the TV series. We want to find that sweet spot where gameplay and narrative inform and reinforce one another. Like AMC’s The Walking Dead itself, we’re not giving away too many details right out the gate, but I can confidently state it’s unlike anything we’ve seen from The Walking Dead franchise on home or mobile gaming hardware before.
5. This Isn’t The First Video Game Based on the TV Series
This brand new mobile game isn’t the first time the TV show has been adapted into video game form. That distinction goes to The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, a first-person shooter that released on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC gaming platforms. This title focused on two of the more popular characters from the show (Daryl and Merle Dixon) and their journey prior to the events of the show. This release didn’t go over so well with reviewers, though. Game Informer awarded the game with a 5/10 score and Giant Bomb even “awarded” it with one star out of five stars.
