“The great thing about the Wick series is when you watch the movies, they’re kind of like video games,” he said. “You have a group of enemies, then you have some tough guys, and you have a boss fight, and then you have a group of enemies, tough guys, and a boss fight. So it’s really exciting to bring that action to a video game. It’s going to be like watching a movie. That’s all I can say.”

This provides some hints about the general structure of the game, which might be a level-based affair where Wick takes on various missions and gets into fights in different environments.

Willits has also confirmed that the game will focus on Wick’s life from before the start of the first movie. This means that it will be a younger version of the character, and will likely take place before the death of his wife, which happens right before the first John Wick movie’s start.

“So yes, it’s before movie one,” Willits said. “And you can kind of infer that because [in the reveal trailer] he’s getting measured for his suit, and he looks a little bit younger.”

While this vague description of the game’s timeline doesn’t reveal too much, the title might finally give us a closer look at the trials and tribulations faced by the character that ultimately led to his decision to leave the assassin’s life behind. It revolving around a younger version of Wick will also likely mean that the action is more brutal and fast-paced. However, the character’s lack of experience might also result in some of his moves being on the clumsier side, especially when compared to his cold, calculated moves in the action scenes throughout the films.

“Untitled John Wick Game” was unveiled with a teaser trailer that primarily focused on establishing Wick’s character as he gets fitted for his iconic suit. However, towards the tail end of the teaser, we also get a few glimpses of action, which emphasised close-quarters-combat through grapples, takedowns, and improvised weapons. Players can also seemingly take advantage of their environments during fights, like tossing an enemy through a car door’s window.

The title doesn’t yet have a release date, and Saber Interactive is yet to confirm all of its platforms. Since its unveiling took place during the State of Play showcase last month, with the teaser noting that footage was captured on a PS5, a release on Sony’s console has been confirmed. The title was announced a month after Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson had spoken about plans for a AAA John Wick game.

Much of the trailer focuses on establishing the vibes of this John Wick adaptation, with the eponymous protagonist taking on a variety of enemies and getting ready for his next battles. The tail end of the trailer gives us a brief look at what actual gameplay will look like, by showing us how Wick can quickly dispatch foes across a variety of ranges, with an emphasis on melee grapples and counters as well as gunplay.

Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson had confirmed that a AAA John Wick game was in development back in January. While he didn’t reveal too many details, he said that “Our AAA game opportunities and other gaming opportunities around John Wick and Saw and some others that we’ll be announcing soon,” during an earnings call.

The movie franchise hasn’t seen much in the way of video game adaptations aside from 2019’s John Wick Hex. However, the tactical strategy game has since been delisted from all storefronts. The character himself has made appearances in a few games, namely Fortnite and Payday 2.

This newest John Wick project doesn’t yet have any release date. However, its presence at State of Play indicates that it will at least come to PS5, if not other platforms as well.

As spotted by Tech4Gamers, Fogelson pointed to an increased interest in adapting John Wick. However, no real details about these adaptations and opportunities have been confirmed. “Our AAA game opportunities and other gaming opportunities around John Wick and Saw and some others that we’ll be announcing soon,” said Fogelson.

John Wick is a series of fast-paced action movies that revolve around the titular protagonist, played by Keanu Reeves, who gets pulled back into his past life as an assassin after the death of his wife and dog. The franchisee has seen four movie releases so far, along with a spin-off, dubbed Ballerina. When it comes to games, Wick has only gotten one to himself—2019’s tactical strategy game John Wick Hex—which has since been delisted from all storefronts. The character has also made guest appearances in other titles, namely Fortnite and Payday 2.

John Wick Hex, developed by Bithell Games, only adapted the characters and world of the John Wick franchise. The story was entirely original, and while Keanu Reeves didn’t return to play the titular character, the title still featured other cast members of the movies, including Lance Reddick and Ian McShane. For more details about John Wick Hex, check out our review, where we gave it a score of 7 out of 10 thanks to its precise, tactical gameplay and fun story. Our major complaints at the time included technical issues, frustrating gameplay sections, and wonky animations.

It is worth noting that this is far from the first time that Lionsgate has spoken about a triple-A John Wick game. CEO Jon Felthimer had spoken about fielding proposals for one such project back in November 2022, and while he didn’t reveal too many details at the time, he believed there was potential for a big AAA John Wick game. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but we believe there is a big AAA game to be made out of John Wick,” he said. “We have been fielding proposals. We certainly are interested in moving that forward, but I don’t want to say anything more about that at this time.”

The subject popped up once more in May 2023, with Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group president Joe Drake noting that there was a host of projects based on John Wick in the works. These projects extended beyond the AAA game space, he said, and into things like movie and TV spin-offs.

“We’re now moving across that franchise, not just in the AAA video game space, but looking at what the regular cadence of spin-offs, television, really growing that universe so that there is a steady cadence of a franchise that there’s clear appetite by the audience,” said Drake.

That’s as per Joe Drake, president of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, who said during the company’s recent earnings call that Lionsgate is moving into the AAA gaming space with the John Wick property as it looks to expand the franchise.

“We’re now moving across that franchise, not just in the AAA video game space, but looking at what the regular cadence of spin-offs, television really growing that universe so that there is a steady cadence of a franchise that there’s clear appetite by the audience,” Drake said (via ComicBook.com).

This isn’t the first time we’re hearing about a AAA John Wick game. In November last year, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer also expressed interest in a big video game adaptation of the property, saying, “I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but we believe there is a big AAA game to be made out of John Wick. We have been fielding proposals.”

Whether Drake’s latest comments mean that Lionsgate has partnered with a developer to work on a AAA John Wick game hasn’t been explicitly confirmed, but it’s clear that the company is moving forward with its intention to do that. How long it’ll be before something gets officially announced remains to be seen.

One of those, it turns out, might be John Wick. The Keanu Reeves-starring action franchise has been one of the most critically and commercially successful film franchises since the first instalment released in 2014, and has only gone from strength to strength, and it seems entertainment giant Lionsgate is looking to replicate that success in games as well.

Speaking during a recent earnings call (via Indie Wire), Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said: “I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but we believe there is a big AAA game to be made out of John Wick. We have been fielding proposals. We certainly are interested in moving that forward, but I don’t want to say anything more about that at this time.”

Fans have been calling out for a big-budget John Wick game for years at this point, and the property is obviously particularly well-suited to a video game adaptation, so Feltheimer’s words are sure to please many. How long it will be before something concrete comes out of this remains to be seen, but at the very least, there seems to be progress.

Of course, John Wick hasn’t been completely absent in gaming, even if it hasn’t yet entered the AAA space. Bithell Games’ grid-based tactics title John Wick Hex launched back in 2020- read our review through here.

The story of Telltale Games’ closure is one that’s as abrupt as it is sad. Future projects like The Wolf Among Us: Season 2 have apparently been cancelled (though Stranger Things could live on). There’s some hope for The Walking Dead: The Final Season, but recent indications also peg that series as being finished.

Exactly what happened? According to Telltale co-founder Dan Connors, who spoke with Variety, the closure was due to the studio failing to secure a round of funding. “The company was working diligently to close a round of financing,” he said. “Unfortunately, when the last potential financial backer abruptly pulled out, we were left in a position where we had no choice but to stop production.

“Sadly, everyone was so focused on doing what was required to keep the company going that when the last potential partner backed out, there were no other options.”

Sources speaking to Variety stated that among Telltale’s financiers, it was Lionsgate that ultimately backed out. The entertainment company, known for its films especially, invested $40 million into the developer back in 2015. However, it apparently told Telltale’s board of directors that it would no longer finance the studio and instead work on its movie business.

None of this has been confirmed officially by Telltale or Lionsgate, so take it with some bit of salt. Still, with one of Variety’s sources apparently being an employee present when layoffs were announced, there could be plenty of credibility to the report.