Indiana Jones is a character begging for a decent videogame adaptation, and Wolfenstein studio Machine Games is aiming to deliver just that. The iconic archaeologist will get a current-gen debut at the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct showcase, where the first footage of the new Indiana Jones game will be shown, alongside (hopefully) details on its release date. However, we’ve got an early theory that this long-awaited adventure title could be released to celebrate a huge anniversary for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
According to a report from Insider Gaming, the Indiana Jones game is targeting a 2024 release window. That means you could see it alongside many new Xbox games like Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, Stalker 2, or Skull and Bones. This is yet to be officially announced, but the forthcoming Developer Direct showcase does sound promising, and indicates Machine Games has plenty to show off. Specifically, you’ll be able to catch “more than 10 minutes of game and developer insights” that will delve into the game’s story, playing as Indy, and the first ever gameplay trailer.
If a release date is to be announced, or at the very least a release window, we think that it could target the 40th anniversary of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The second Indy movie was released on May 23, 1984. That’s a Thursday in 2024, leaving Friday, May 24, 2024, open to launch. As we’ve already passed milestones for Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, respectively, this would be a perfect time to celebrate all things pertaining to Harrison Ford’s legendary adventurer. It is also the start of the summer, too, leaving an opportunity to kick it off with a blockbuster-level banger.
Even though we’ve seen and heard next to nothing about this project, which for most games would signal it’s a long way off of being completed, we speculate that the game has been in development longer than most people expect.
Bethesda veteran Todd Howard, who is an executive producer on the project, has always been a massive Indiana Jones fan, and it seems like this project is something of a life-long aspiration for him. That much can be attested to an interview with GQ last year, where Howard’s favorite movie is confirmed to be, you guessed it: Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The same interview also claimed that Howard was “midway” through production on the Indiana Jones game, which is “a bucket-list” goal for Howard to oversee. But what about the game’s narrative?
The Indiana Jones game takes place in 1937 according to the teaser trailer. That places it a year after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark canonically, meaning we’ve got some gaps to fill in before we meet Indy’s father on the quest for the Holy Grail. We think it should take key factors from Temple of Doom in its narrative, so hopefully that ties up with our theory that it could release alongside the film’s anniversary.
Even without seeing any gameplay, we’re optimistic this could become one of the best Xbox games of this generation – hopefully we don’t have to wait too long to find out if we’re right.