It's official: we've finally gotten our first look at the upcoming Indiana Jones game from Wolfenstein developer MachineGames: it's called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and it's out later this year.
Our first real look at the game opens with Indy in a bit of a tight spot, buried up to his shoulders in the desert. While we never see exactly how he wiggles out of that one, that's only the start of the trailer. Indy seems to very much be in actor Harrison Ford's likeness, though voiced by Troy Baker, as he explores temples, trips up enemies with his characteristic whip, shoots Nazis, and finds secrets buried in tombs and behind statues. And yes, he has his iconic whip, which can be used for combat, traverse, and as a distraction.
The game opens, we're told, at Marshall College, taking place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. Indy hears a strange sound, and follows it to find an enormous man stealing an artifact. His investigation into what's going on takes him to the Vatican, and later to other locations including Egypt and the Himalayas as he explores ancient sites to uncover the heart of the mystery.
MachineGames says that The Great Circle is intended to be very cinematic and actiony, in keeping with the spirit of the films. They used lots of stunt actors for very physical segments, and the gameplay mixes mostly first-person play with occasional third-person moments where necessary for that more cinematic feel. Music is composed by Grammy-nominated Gordy Haab, who's aiming for the essence of John Williams' score.
We also got a look at secondary protagonist Gina, an investigative reporter with a personal stake in the mystery Indy is exploring, and cerebral villain Emmerich Voss, who's obsessed with manipulation and the mind.
MachineGames first revealed their Indiana Jones efforts in January of 2021, and we've unfortunately seen nothing since. We have learned that it's being produced by Todd Howard in collaboration with Lucasfilm, and that while it was originally conceived for a PS5 release, it will ultimately be an Xbox console exclusive thanks to Xbox's acquisition of Zenimax. Last week, a fan uncovered some hints that the game was going to be called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and they turned out to be true, perhaps hinting that other trademarks filed around the same time for Galactic Circle and Circle of Resistance might manifest at some point as well.
To catch up on everything announced in today's Xbox Developer Direct, check out our roundup.
