EA announced today that the company will release a GI Joe videogame to tie in with the upcoming film The Rise of Cobra. We’ve got almost no details other than a vague plot, but the company will be showing off the game in earnest next week at the New York Toy Fair.
Twelve characters will be in the game, which picks up after the end of the movie, and they’ll “re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line.” There’s single-screen co-op and…that’s about it. Game will be available around the film’s August 7 release date on the PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii and Xbox 360 platforms.
One obvious question comes to mind: how long has EA had this sucker in development? EA’s had a deal with Hasbro since 2007, and around this time last year EA confirmed that GI Joe was part of their rights package. So is this a ten-month quickie to cash in on the film, or an actual game that has been secretly brewing for a couple of years? If the latter, I’m impressed that EA has kept it so quiet for this long. But I expect the truth is that this is actually a hastily gestated tie-in with as much recycled tech as possible, making for a game that can stand up to the greats like Catwoman and Ghost Rider.
…and this would have made a great entry in the Lego series.