In what will undoubtedly be a massive blow for G.I. Joe fans around the world, Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have reportedly canceled a Triple-A game centered around fan-favorite character Snake Eyes, also shuttering its studio, Atomic Arcade, in the process.
Word of the cancellation comes by way of former developer, Dominic Braun, who shared in a LinkedIn post that they are now looking for work following the studio’s closure.
“Hi everyone! I’ve been affected by Hasbro’s and Wizards of the Coast’s decision to close Atomic Arcade,” Braun wrote. “While this obviously stinks, there are a lot of really great people now available, including myself.”
At the moment, it’s unclear how far into development the project at Atomic Arcade was. Save for a few screenshots of Snake Eye’s armor, not much has been shared.
To this point, for as enduring of a franchise as G.I. Joe has been, its video game history has been less than stellar. The last notable G.I. Joe-related title was Operation Blackout in 2020, a clunky action game published by GameMill Entertainment.
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Before that, there was a rash of mobile titles and one lone console game released to coincide with the first live-action adaptation of G.I. Joe, The Rise of Cobra.
Atomic Arcade Was Hoping To Break The Cycle Of Bad G.I. Joe Titles
Originally greenlit in 2023, the now-canceled Triple-A Snake Eyes title was intended to break the cycle of poor G.I. Joe titles. It ultimately did not get that chance.
“We are busy developing our first project: a high-quality video game centered around Snake Eyes, the legendary ninja/commando character from G.I. Joe,” Atomic Arcade’s website noted.
A job posting back in 2024 noted that the studio was looking for a Sr. World/Level Designer that had experience in both open world and linear game design for a “bold and contemporary new take on the GI JOE Universe.”
Separately, cinematic director Sean Ainsworth noted in an interview that the team was taking inspiration from Metal Gear Solid for its title. Not only that, but the title would ditch the cartoonish look of G.I. Joe in an effort to “affect people’s perception of the franchise.”
- Release Date
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1983 – 1992-00-00
- Network
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Syndication
- Directors
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Don Jurwich
- Writers
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Martin Pasko
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Brian Cummings
Dr. Mindbender (voice)
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Richard Gautier
Serpentor (voice)
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Frank Welker
Torch (voice) / Wild Bill (voice)
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Gregg Berger
Firefly (voice) / Ripcord (voice) / Spirit (voice)
