Comic book fans have been spoiled lately with a run of great comic-inspired games, like Insomniac’sSpider-ManandMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3. There’s also plenty to look forward to, likeMarvel’s Avengersand the rumoredBatmanandSpider-Mansequels. Now it seems that comic publisher Valiant is ready to join the trend. Valiant announced today that it is partnering with Blowfish Studios to create new games based on its properties, includingBloodshotandNinjak.
This isn’t the first time thatValianthas dabbled into game development. In 1994, Valiant’s parent company was purchased by Acclaim. Acclaim went on to make several games based on Valiant properties, includingArmorines: Project SWARM,Turok: Dinosaur Hunter,Shadow Man, and a Marvel crossover namedIron Man and X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal. Valiant would lose theTurokproperty in Acclaim’s eventual bankruptcy.
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Valiant has since made a resurgence in the comic industry due to DMG Entertainment’s full acquisition of Valiant Entertainment in 2018. Several months after the acquisition, Valiant announced that it was producing aBloodshotfilm starringVin Diesel, scheduled for theaters in 2020. Valiant’s partnership with Blowfish Studios is just the latest example of the comic publisher’s expansion into cross-media production. While no specific games have been announced, it’s likely that they’ll focus on cross-promoting other Valiant projects.
Blowfish Studios is a small and not well-known developer, though it has many completed projects. Perhaps its best-known works are 2015’sGunscape, a retrofirst-person shooter, andMinesweeper Genius, a puzzle game available solely on consoles. Blowfish is the definition of indie, but does have lofty aspirations. The team is currently working over half a dozen in-development games, and that’s before you add any possible Valiant projects. The Valiant partnership has to be a major opportunity for the studio.
As for when Valiant fans can expect news about their favoritecomic characters being released in video game form, time will tell. Vin Diesel’sBloodshotfilm launching in February 2020, and CEO of Valiant parent company DMG Dan Mintz characterized its expansion into games as pairing well with theBloodshotfilm’s launch. Early 2020 is definitely a bit too quick of a turnaround for a game, but it’s not impossible to imagine that Blowfish could turnaround a small game in a year or two of development. Expect an update from either Valiant or Blowfish in 2020.
