Software:Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Short description: Upcoming action-adventure game

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Developer(s)	MachineGames
Publisher(s)	Bethesda Softworks
Director(s)	Jerk Gustafsson
Composer(s)	Gordy Haab
Engine	id Tech
Platform(s)	Windows Xbox Series X/S
Release	2024
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by MachineGames, to be published by Bethesda Softworks. It is based on the Indiana Jones franchise and will feature an original narrative that draws from the film series. Set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), the story follows archaeologist Indiana Jones in 1937, as he attempts to thwart various groups who are seeking to harness a power connected to the Great Circle, which refers to mysterious sites around the world that form a perfect circle when connected together on a map. The game spans numerous real-world locales such as Rome, Thailand, Egypt, and the Himalayas.

The Great Circle is primarily played from a first-person perspective with third-person being employed for contextual elements such as environmental interaction. Players control Indy as they navigate through a mix of linear, story-sensitive areas and wider, exploratory landscapes. Combat can either be directly engaged with or circumvented entirely through the use of stealth mechanics, and the character's signature whip can be used as both a weapon, or as a means for traversing across obstacles and solving various puzzles to uncover alternate paths and obscured collectibles.

Bethesda and MachineGames jointly announced the game's development in January 2021, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. It is directed by Jerk Gustafsson, reprising his duties from the MachineGames titles Wolfenstein (2014) and Wolfenstein (2019). Gordy Haab serves as the game's composer, contributing original pieces and reinterpretations of classic themes from the films by John Williams. The Great Circle will be executive produced by Todd Howard from Bethesda Game Studios, who also conceived the game's story. It is the first game based on the franchise since Indiana Jones Adventure World (2011).

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to release for Windows and Xbox Series X/S in 2024.

Gameplay

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an action-adventure game that also consists of gameplay styles in various other genres. As archaeologist Indiana Jones, the player can choose to use stealth or engage in direct combat with enemies. The game also includes various puzzles, many of which are optional. Jones's whip can be used for combat and to traverse through certain areas. The game is played from a first-person perspective, but switches to a third-person view for certain gameplay actions and cutscenes, such as when Jones uses his whip to swing over gaps or when climbing pipes and walls.

Plot

Characters and setting

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features an original narrative that draws inspiration from the film series. The story is set in 1937, placing it in between the events of the first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark (set in 1936), and the third film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (set in 1938). Like both films, the game takes place before the events of World War II. All three of the Axis Powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and The Empire of Japan) will serve as antagonists, with the Nazis playing the most central antagonistic role.

The game picks up after Jones has left his fiancée, Marion Ravenwood. Following the theft of an artifact from Marshall College, Jones heads to the Vatican to investigate. Jones notes that sites of spiritual significance have been built throughout history, realizing that their locations form a perfectly aligned circle around the globe. Besides Rome, other locations include the Sukhothai temples in Thailand, the Egyptian pyramids, and the snowy Himalayas. During his journey, he teams up with Gina Lombardi, an investigative reporter who has an interest in the case. They go up against Emmerich Voss, who uses psychological manipulation against his enemies.

Development

On January 12, 2021, Lucasfilm Games and Bethesda Softworks announced plans to eventually release a video game based on the Indiana Jones franchise. It would be developed by MachineGames, with Todd Howard serving as executive producer through Bethesda. Both companies are owned by ZeniMax Media. Howard considered MachineGames an ideal company to develop the project because of its work on the Wolfenstein series, which involves a battle against Nazis, like the Indiana Jones franchise. Howard conceived the game's story. As executive producer, he occasionally checks in on the game's progress rather than having a hands-on role.

Howard, an Indiana Jones fan, had previously pitched such a game to George Lucas around 2009, although the project did not move forward at that time, partly because Bethesda did not have the resources to develop it. In addition, Lucasfilm wanted to publish the game, a role that Bethesda sought to fill, and the two could not come to an agreement.

The game's 2021 announcement was accompanied by a teaser trailer which included various Easter eggs and hints about the game's setting. As of mid-2021, the game was in a very early state of development. It was developed using the id Tech game engine. Jerk Gustafsson served as the game's director. Jens Andersson joined the project as design director in late 2022, after previously being hired in the same position for the planned 2009 game. Andersson had also served as lead designer on The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004) and The Darkness (2007). The Indiana Jones team includes more than 20 developers who previously worked on The Darkness.

The title, story details, and first gameplay footage were unveiled on January 18, 2024, during Microsoft's Xbox Developer_Direct video presentation. Also announced was the game's first-person perspective, which received a mixed response. For MachineGames, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle continues a tradition of developing games in the first-person perspective, while also setting it apart from third-person games in the similar Tomb Raider and Uncharted franchises. The first-person viewpoint was also chosen to fully immerse the player in the role of Indiana Jones.

Lucasfilm will have final approval over the game, which will be the company's first non-Star Wars game in years, and the first Indiana Jones game since 2011's Indiana Jones Adventure World. The game uses Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford's likeness, while Troy Baker provides voiceover work for the character. Other voice actors included Alessandra Mastronardi as Gina Lombardi, Marios Gavrilis as Emmerich Voss and Tony Todd as Locus. The soundtrack was composed by Gordy Haab, based on the work of John Williams, who conducted the film scores. Haab previously worked on the score for the 2009 video game Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. Certain actions were created for the game by stuntmen performing in motion capture suits.

Release

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled for release in 2024 for Windows and as a console exclusive for Xbox Series X/S, and will be available from launch on Xbox Game Pass. The initial contract between Bethesda and Lucasfilm parent company Disney stipulated that the game be launched on multiple consoles, including PlayStation 5. These terms were amended when Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media in March 2021, thereby receiving ownership of Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames. Disney justified the game's exclusivity to Xbox and PC, feeling that the two platforms made up a large-enough marketplace.