Hollywood veteran Zack Snyder revealed that a large-scale video game tie-in for his upcoming Netflix movieRebel Moonis in the works. This surprise confirmation arrived just months afterSnyder wrapped up principal photography onRebel Moon.
Netflix has been aggressively pursuing video game ventures as a key aspect of its diversification strategy since 2021, when it started appointing industry veterans such as former EA executive Mike Verdu to leadership positions at its newly formed gaming division. Apart from building out its in-house development capabilities, the company has also started looking toward supporting its rising ambitions in the segment via third parties. The most high-profile result of those efforts to date was announced in September 2022, whenUbisoft agreed to develop three Netflix-exclusive games.
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Snyder has now confirmed that an RPG based on his upcomingRebel Moonmovie is set to join Netflix’s growing game library, having said as much during a live interview with The Nerd Queens on March 19. The famous filmmaker was coy about the details, having only said he pushed for a game on a “ridiculous scale,” which required him to actively support pre-production development efforts by fully fleshing out his movie universe. For context,Rebel Moonwas initially pitched to Lucasfilm as aStar Warsmovie before being reworked into a standalone IP that was picked up by Netflix.
The revelation thatNetflixwas willing to bankroll an ambitious RPG tie-in underlines its high expectations forRebel Moon, which were already apparent by summer 2022, when the company greenlit a sequel while the original was still filming. Though that decision was reportedly made easier by the recent round of California’s tax cuts for large-scale movie productions, it still signaled that Netflix viewsRebel Moonas one of its biggest releases of 2023.
While this unexpected confirmation of aRebel MoonRPG reaffirms the streaming giant’s confidence in the upcoming franchise, it remains to be seen who exactly is handling its development. According to a November report,Netflix has been making a AAA game with formerOverwatchproducerChacko Sonny for a while now, with Snyder’s vague description of theRebel MoonRPG tie-in possibly fitting that previously rumored project.
Should the two games end up being one and the same, it’s unlikely theRebel MoonRPG will be releasing anytime soon. Not least because theNetflix studio led by Sonny only opened in October2022, so whatever its first game might be, it is likely still in pre-production.
