A brand-newKing Kongvideo game titledSkull Island: Rise of Konghas just been announced. The legendary giant ape of the silver screen has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years thanks to Legendary Pictures’MonsterVersemovie franchise, withGodzilla x Kong: The New Empireset to rock theaters next March. Kong’s influence in the world of video games is also substantial, as the fabled movie monster served as an inspiration forNintendo’s similar simian mascot Donkey Kong.
A franchise that has existed for as long asKing Konghas is bound to have a few video game adaptations under its belt, with the great ape headlining a handful of 2D titles in the 1980s. Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake of the originalKing Kongspawned its own FPS adaptation that was hailed at the time for beingone of the better movie tie-in gamesof the 2000s. King Kong’s most recent video game outing came in a specialCall of Dutycrossover event that saw him reunite with his longtime nemesis Godzilla, though this was met with a mixed response from players.
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Now, a newKing Kongvideo game has been announced in the form ofSkull Island: Rise of Kong. A pulse-pounding trailer for this new game was posted on YouTube earlier today, and begins with grainy footage of the titular island being overrun by dinosaurs as a young Kong watches on. The trailer then cuts tothird-person action-adventure gameplay footageof a now-adult Kong battling waves of these dinosaurs and other monstrous creatures with various dodges and striking attacks. Eventually, the trailer ends with the game’s title and a launch window of Fall 2023.
Skull Island: Rise of Kongis being developed by indie studio IguanaBee Studios and published by GameMill Entertainment, the company behind numerous licensed games liketheSmash BroscloneNickelodeon All-Star BrawlandCobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues. The game was leaked on Amazon’s Spanish website just before it was officially announced, with translated descriptions stating thatSkull Island: Rise of Kongwill task players with avenging the death of Kong’s parents at the hands of Gaw, “the ultimate alpha predator” whose name was featured in pastKing Kongmaterial as the leader of a species of dinosaurs called the Deathrunners.
King Kong hasn’t seen a standalone game in quite some time, with his last solo outing beingthe virtual reality sci-fi titleKONG VR: Destination Skull Islandback in 2017. This makesSkull Island: Rise of Kongall the more intriguing, especially since it seems to put players in the role of a younger Kong from before he became the powerful beast known and feared throughout the world of cinema. If nothing else,Skull Island: Rise of Kongmight be a satisfying appetizer for the great ape’s big-screen return inGodzilla x Kong: The New Empirenext year.
Skull Island: Rise of Kongwill launch on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S in Fall 2023.
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