There have been many attempts, some more successful than others, to adapt theTerminatorfilms into video games. From Bethesda’s 1991 DOS game toTerminator: Resistancein 2019, theTerminatorfranchise has been part of gaming for most of its history.
One genre not generally associated withThe Terminatoris real-time strategy. However, that’s changing with Slitherine’s announcement ofTerminator Dark Fate: Defianceduring the publisher’s Home of Wargame’s event on December 14.
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According to Slitherine’s Marketing Director Marco A. Minoli, the publisher’s audience includes a lot of gamers in their 30s who grew up with science fiction franchisessuch asStarship Troopers,Terminator, andBattlestar Galactica. Hoping to capitalize on their shared fanbase, Slitherine approached Skydance ahead of the studio’s announcement of the filmTerminator: Dark Fate, released in 2019.
Terminator Dark Fate: Defianceis in development by Russian studio Who Play in close collaboration with Skydance Media. Minoli notes that while most IP holders take a hands-off approach to licensing, the film studio’s been highly involved inDefiance’sdevelopment. This collaboration is to make sure the game fits in with theTerminatorfranchise in the future. This is part of Skydance’s larger plan to spinTerminatoroff into other projects, including a Netflix animated series.
The RTS takes place between the “present-day” depicted inTerminator: Dark Fateand the Legion-controlled future of 2042. Players lead a group of ex-US military personnel known as “The Founders,” one of several factions fighting the Legion AI. Other factions include groups known as The Resistance and The Cartel, who are playable inDefiance’s multiplayer. However, the single-player story focuses on The Founder’s efforts to defeat Legion. The story is mostly linear, with the player progressing from one zone to the next in a set order. However, players will decide which other human factions to work with. Doing so changes both the story and which units’ players have access to.
Speaking of units, players won’t be gathering resources and building bases like inAge of EmpiresorCommand and Conquer. Instead,Terminator Dark Fate: Defianceemphasizes unit placement and positioning, similar to Slitherine’sBattlestar Galactica: Deadlock.Defianceallows players to position units in buildings, taking control of individual floors. Buildings can also be destroyed during combat, creating a dynamic battlefieldsimilar in concept to theXCOMgames.
That’s not to sayTerminator Dark Fate: Defiancefocuses exclusively on urban combat, as the game also features plenty of wilderness maps. Either way, the gameplay Slitherine showed off looks promising, being partially reminiscent oftheCompany of Heroesseries. While the filmTerminator: Dark Fatewasn’t quite the shot in the arm the franchise needed,Terminator Dark Fate: Defiancemight be a great way to bring the world ofTerminatorto the RTS genre.
Terminator Dark Fate: Defiancereleases for PC in late 2022.
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