Former Call of Duty developers are making the first ever video game based on the Kickboxer martial arts film franchise.
Los Angeles-based Force Multiplier Studios is working with Dimitri Logothetis and Rob Hickman, the filmmakers behind the recent rebooted Kickboxer trilogy to develop the Kickboxer video game.
Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in the first Kickboxer film, which released in 1989 and did so well it spawned a number of sequels. Van Damme failed to return for Kickboxer 2, instead making 1991’s Double Impact, but did star in the 2016 reboot Kickboxer: Vengeance alongside Dave Bautista, and its 2018 sequel, Kickboxer: Retaliation. The third installment of the reboot trilogy, Kickboxer: Armageddon, is set to shoot this spring.
As for the video game, it’s said to be in early development but, according to Force Multiplier Studios, “will combine the rich narrative of Kickboxer with kinetic martial arts action to deliver an intense, high-octane brawler, and feature iconic characters and locations from the franchise originally starring martial arts icon Jean-Claude Van Damme.”
IGN asked if Jean-Claude Van Damme himself had signed on to star in the video game, but Force Multiplier Studios kept things vague. “We’re all massive fans of the Kickboxer movies, and we have the licenses to many characters and likenesses from the Kickboxer universe that we’re very excited about,” Brent Friedman, Chief Creative Officer at Force Multiplier Studios, said. “We’ll have much more to share later in the year.”
Force Multiplier Studios is a new development studio co-founded by Jeremy Breslau, Brent Friedman, and Charnjit Bansi, who led narrative and design on the likes of Call of Duty, Borderlands, and Halo. They’ve also worked on Tomb Raider and Mortal Kombat.
“Kickboxer is more than just a film; it’s a cultural phenomenon that has inspired generations of fans and martial artists alike,” said Dimitri Logothetis, writer and director of Kickboxer: Armageddon.
“I’m thrilled to collaborate with the incredible team at Force Multiplier Studios. We’re going to create a gaming experience that pays tribute to the original film while introducing exciting new gameplay elements.”
Force Multiplier Studios’ first game is a combat shooter called Karnivus, which was released within Fortnite, but it sounds like Kickboxer is a step up for the team.
“Our passion is innovation, and just as we’re innovating on Fortnite Creative with our own environmental combat shooter experience Karnivus, we can’t wait to innovate the fighting genre with a dynamic brawler that will empower players to be the best kickboxers in the world, traveling to exotic locales and introducing new environmental combat mechanics to deliver a martial arts experience like never before,” added Jeremy Breslau, CEO of Force Multiplier Studios.
That’s all we have for now — no screenshots or a trailer just yet. Expect more information later this year.
Image credit: Jean-Claude Van Damme YouTube.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
