Bethesda is making an Indiana Jones game in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games

Indiana Jones game in production by Bethesda
(Image credit: Bethesda)

In a surprising announcement this morning, Bethesda has revealed that the company is publishing an Indiana Jones game. Machine Games, the team behind the critically acclaimed Wolfenstein series, are developing it in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.

One thing we know for sure is that this is not a movie tie-in. It will be a wholly original story taking place within the Indiana Jones world. Additionally, the game will have Todd Howard himself as an executive producer.

In the teaser trailer, we see the camera pan through a large desk filled with books, maps, trinkets, a compass, a type-writer and other items. It's a very traditional way to tease this sort of game, providing all sorts of hints toward an epic adventure full of unique sights, cryptic puzzles and eccentric villains.

Outside of this, we're not entirely sure what we can expect from the game. Many expect it to be similar to the Uncharted series, taking a third-person perspective with the primary focus being setpieces that take the player around the world.

Something related to this announcement also happened recently. In a blog post, Disney has revealed that Lucasfilm Games is the new identity for anything that falls under that specific brand, including Star Wars titles. 

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This could just be a rebranding, or it could mean that the company is taking initiative in ensuring that games falling under the name of Lucasfilm Games get a certain level of quality assurance. This could also be in preparation for taking the Star Wars franchise out of EA's hands, considering the publisher's controversial handling of the universe.

It's also quite fitting that Machine Games is the developer handling the game, since Wolfenstein is largely about obliterating Nazis, and the Indiana Jones series often possesses similar themes.

Additionally, Xbox's purchase of Bethesda is set to finalize soon. This announcement could be a way to make it clear to audiences that Xbox is building up its exclusive lineup even further.

Momo Tabari
Contributing Writer

Self-described art critic and unabashedly pretentious, Momo finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and five years of experience in entertainment journalism. Momo is a stalwart defender of the importance found in subjectivity and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for the past, present and future of gaming. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and watching anime.