Indiana Jones Game in Development by Bethesda and MachineGames

It’s been some time since intrepid explorer and archeologist Indiana Jones has starred in a video game that didn’t involve Legos, and it looks like Bethesda and MachineGames are gearing up for his return. Earlier today Bethesda released a short 30-second teaser and tweet that left no doubt the company is developing a game within the famous film franchise. We’re a little short on information, but we can make a few guesses based on the trailer and who’s involved.

Bethesda confirmed they are working on a new Indiana Jones.

The initial tweet with the teaser was followed up by Bethesda with a second tweet confirming the company is indeed working on an Indiana Jones game. It will feature an original story and is in development by studio MachineGames (best known for their work on the Wolfenstein franchise). Todd Howard is the executive producer for the project, and the company is working in collaboration with the newly minted LucasFilm Games (turns out they will handle all things Lucas and not just Star Wars, which makes sense).

We don’t have much more to go off of, and the tweet from Bethesda did state it will be some time yet until they have more details to share. That said, there are few items in the trailer worth noting. There’s a book called Ancient Circle: Jubilee sitting on Indy’s desk, followed by his packed journal atop a map of what appears to be a ziggurat or pyramid of sorts. There’s a map of the Vatican and an overnight plane ticket to Rome, hinting at one of the possible locations Indiana Jones will visit in the upcoming game. There’s a camera with a photo of what could be the entrance to an ancient catacomb or tomb near the end, and the typewriter next to it does have a letter keen-eyed fans will likely decipher here soon.

Seeing as Todd Howard is involved I’d wager we’re likely to see a strong focus on narrative within the game, which shouldn’t come as too much of a shock seeing as Indiana Jones is the proto-Nathan Drake, and this new game will probably take inspiration from Naughty Dog’s seminal series. MachineGames is well known for first-person shooters, so it will be interesting to see what they bring to the table. I’d assume the game will be in third-person, but you never know. Either way this is exciting news. Time will tell if this new Indiana Game ends up a Microsoft exclusive, thanks in large part to the company’s acquisition of Zenimax last year, but I won’t say no to a new Indiana Jones adventure.