Saber Interactive—a studio known for hard-hitting action games like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2—unveiled its untitled John Wick game last month. However, little more about the project has been revealed since then. In an interview with IGN, however, chief creative officer Tim Willits has shared some new information. Among other things, he spoke about how the John Wick movies feel like they’re video games. On the other hand, he said that playing the John Wick game is going to feel like watching one of the movies.
“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.
