The John Wick franchise is one of the most popular action movie franchisees right now. People have lined uptime and again to see Keanu Reeves take on the High Table as the titular assassin across three films, and 2023 will see the franchise deliver even more heart-pounding action. Not only is John Wick: Chapter 4 releasing March 24, but there are also two different John Wick spin-off projects in the works that will expand the franchise further. There seems to be no shortage of John Wick content on the horizon, but the series has yet to truly break into the video game market.
Yet, the series' premise seems like the perfect fit for a Hitman-like series of action games, and there has never been a better time to make one. The only video game that fans have gotten is John Wick Hex in 2019. While it was fun, it failed to capture the feeling of being the titular character like a third-person action game could, so whoever gets the license should take a page out of IO Interactive's book.
A Hitman-like John Wick Game Would be Perfect
The premise behind John Wick is pretty simple, but its simplicity is what drew fans to the series in the first place. It follows a former hitman named John Wick who is forced to come out of retirement and combat the criminal underworld he once left behind. The first John Wick was simply a revenge story following as he hunted down the people who killed his dog, but the story has only gotten more bombastic with each entry that explores a deeper lore.
One of the biggest draws of the John Wick franchise is the brutal action scenes of each film. Since Wick is taking on almost the entire criminal underworld, he is constantly engaged in fights for his life. He must take out foes in a room of mirrors, shoot his way out of a heavily-guarded fortress, fight inside a catacomb, duke it out inside a knife store, and defend New York's Continental Hotel from invaders. Each film tries to one up its predecessor, which has kept fans coming back for more.
The brutal action that John Wick is known for feels ripped straight out of a video game, but no video game has captured that same energy. The only notable John Wick game out there is John Wick Hex from 2019, which serves as a prequel to the first film that puts players in control of the titular hitman as part of a tactical RPG. While the game does try to capture the aesthetic of the John Wick universe, it leaves a lot to be desired given its gameplay is not as brutal and its set pieces are not as creative. It feels like an average movie tie-in game.
The John Wick franchise would fit perfectly the kind of experience that the Hitman series has already shown succeeds. Each entry has put players in control of Agent 47, offering free rein to deal with their targets how they see fit. The Hitman reboot trilogy is one of the best open-ended sandbox series around, and it feels like the perfect assassin simulator. Players have fallen in love with it for a reason, and John Wick should capitalize on that success.
Giving players control of John Wick across multiple open-ended sandbox levels seems like a recipe for success. It could be a carnage-filled prequel like The Continental series or John Wick Hex and show the early days of Wick's career, it could let players play through the events of the films. A game could tell brand-new Wick stories in-between the films, or it could be a completely original take on the character, maybe even bringing in different characters from who fans see on the silver screen. Whatever form it comes in, a John Wick-style Hitman game seems like the perfect combination, and hopefully a worthy addition to the John Wick franchise.