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I no longer flinch at seeing movie stars in video games. On the contrary: I fangirl scream when I realized that Keanu Reeves is reprising his role as John Wick in the upcoming PS5 game. It doesn't matter whether you're a Cyberpunk 2077 fan who's excited to have Johnny Silverhand back on your console or a John Wick aficionado buying your first PS5: Reeves' digital likeness has become an accidental figurehead, the modern day advocate of game-movie crossovers and their faded but fascinating legacy.
The symbiotic relationship between the two has proved that developers and film studios have finally worked out how to make Hollywood IPs work as video games – and all it took was a generation of trial runs.
Nostalgia reloaded
The 35 greatest Keanu Reeves movies prove why he's the king of playing Johnny/John anything
I've waxed lyrical in the past about the halcyon days when every new blockbuster hit came with a PS2 tie-in video game. These near beat-for-beat recreations of the films themselves were everywhere in the early 2000s, released alongside one another to build out the participatory layers of filmgoer subculture to varying levels of success.
Ubisoft tried its hand at a game-film simultaneous launch for 2023's Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – which was intended to release a year earlier alongside Avatar: Way of Water. The publisher ultimately had to delay the companion piece, citing a need for "additional development time," which absolutely tracks. Video games take far longer to make in the 2020s than they did in 2004, and the volatile nature of game development makes it challenging to align co-release schedules.
Which is where Indiana Jones and the Great Circle cracks the whip. Instead of launching alongside 2023 blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny as a movie tie-in, Bethesda and MachineGames' collaborated with license holder Lucasfilm to make a brand new instalment that still fits into the film canon. The Great Circle launched a year later, riding the wave of the franchise's enduring popularity in the wake of a hit new movie, to critical and commercial success.
Similarly, Hitman developer IO Interactive's upcoming 007 First Light has been gaining traction thanks to its cinematic roots. Super spy James Bond is no stranger to the video game world (if you've never played 007 Nightfire I am sincerely sorry for your loss), but seeing a young Bond reimagined for the modern day in all his suave action hero glory brings a unique brand of prestige to the new title. With full backing from film publisher MGM Studios, First Light will deliver an original Bond story with an original take on the character himself, linked to no film in particular, but drawing from the entire film franchise.
To me, that's what the John Wick game looks like. The trailer revealed at February's Playstation State of Play tells us virtually nothing about the game's plot itself, instead treating us to action shots of Wick beating the everloving crap out of enemies – a pencil here, a frying pan there, a few guns for good measure – all underscored by classical music.
Game adaptations work best as additive rather than derivative entities
By the time we actually get a closer look at the eponymous hero's character model and have all suspicions confirmed – that Keanu Reeves is coming to another game, this time as a beloved action movie hero – I don't even care about the story. All I know is that I somehow feel like it's 2003 again and I get to pick up a new video game after watching the hottest new movie so I can keep the movie theater experience going long after my popcorn runs out.
Saber Interactive has clearly been paying attention. The John Wick series is recognizable enough that a game doesn't need to be beholden to a specific movie release date. Having Reeves reprise his role is another huge benefit, especially for the legions of Cyberpunk 2077 fans who have been pleading for CD Projekt Red to find a way to bring his character back for the sequel. Rights holder Lionsgate is also on board for the untitled video game, and with the developer already adapting an iconic horror franchise in Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, Saber seems to have cottoned on a very clever pattern.
Movie tie-in games died long ago, and from their ashes, a new generation was born. John Wick, James Bond, and Indiana Jones all prove that game adaptations work best as additive rather than derivative entities, elevating and extending the experience past what a non-interactive one might offer. It's the prime evolution of the PS2 tie-in; games that aren't tie-ins any more, but entrants of equal standing in a particular IP. The only thing more satisfying than connecting those dots is watching Keanu Reeves jab pencils into eyesockets in 4k. I'll enjoy the latter even more knowing that each stab is continuing a faded (but never forgotten) tradition.
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