Highlights
- Rebel Moon is Zack Snyder's passion project, originally pitched as a Star Wars movie but now with its own identity and influences. Clearly, Netflix sees franchise potential, with a video game based on the movie in development.
- The Rebel Moon game could be any genre, though its sci-fi focus and a confirmation of co-op means that it should take inspiration from co-op games like Halo and Destiny.
- Games with strong world-building and character moments, like Mass Effect and Star Wars titles, should also be looked to for ideas.
Despite having an extremely mixed portfolio, Zack Snyder has amassed quite the fan-base over the years, and that high level of popularity has meant that the filmmaker can keep working on projects that he's truly passionate about. And Rebel Moon may be his most passionate project yet. Originally pitched as a Star Wars movie years ago, Rebel Moon has since grown an identity of its own, but it's still wearing its influences on its sleeve.
Aired at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Rebel Moon's first full-length trailer gives a pretty extensive overview of the movie's plot, showcasing Sofia Boutella's Kora as she is forced to rise up against an Empire-like authority that's forcing much of the galaxy into enslavement. Part Star Wars, part Dune, and a lot Zack Snyder, Rebel Moon looks like it's shaping up to be a fun Sci-Fi romp, and Netflix seems to already be seeing its franchise potential. Along with showcasing the new trailer, Zack Snyder's Gamescom appearance also brought with it the announcement that Netflix is creating a video game based on Rebel Moon, and there are plenty of Sci-Fi franchises that it could learn a lot from.
Sci-Fi Games That Could Inspire Rebel Moon
Just announced at Gamescom, practically nothing is known about this Rebel Moon video game. The only official details given were that the game will be developed by Super Evil Megacorp, an Indie studio probably best known for its recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate Apple Arcade game, that it'll be canon to the franchise, and that it'll feature some kind of co-op. Aside from that, nothing else has been stated about this Rebel Moon game, meaning that it could be anything.
There was no mention of what type of game Rebel Moon would be. It could be a fully-fledged open-world RPG, a first-person shooter, a top-down brawler like Splintered Fate, or any combination of these or any other genre of video game. Rebel Moon could be anything at this point, and that means that it could take inspiration from a whole host of other Sci-Fi video games.
When it comes to Sci-Fi co-op games, Bungie is probably the best source of inspiration. The first few Halo games are still widely regarded as some of the best co-op experiences in gaming, and this Rebel Moon project should look to the series for inspiration on how to develop its own co-op gameplay, even if it doesn't end up being a first-person shooter. The Destiny series is another great point of inspiration for co-op and multiplayer gameplay, showing how expansive universes can be molded to fit around cooperative play.
For inspiration on world-building and in-depth characters, BioWare's Mass Effect series is probably the best port of call. Within just an hour or two of the first Mass Effect, players already get an idea of how vast the universe is, while already learning about most of its key players and locations. Then through environmental details, character dialogue, and cutscenes, the world of Mass Effect continues to expand from there, all in a natural and engaging way. With the Rebel Moon game reportedly being canon to Snyder's movies, it's vital that its developers look to games like Mass Effect to learn how to carefully forge a universe. Many Star Wars titles would also be great points of inspiration for this, with games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor teaching Rebel Moon how to build upon a setting and world that's already been established by another form of media.
A Rebel Moon game is in development.