In the 1980s, Disney gave audiences one of the most visually stunning cyberpunk films ever, Tron, an adventure in the virtual world. Naturally, the franchise gave fans many iconic game adaptations, including the recently announced Tron Catalyst, an isometric action game telling a standalone story.
With the new film on the horizon, this could be a chance for the once-dormant saga to become a major Disney franchise. Here is a breakdown of why gamers should be excited about Tron Catalyst.
Tron Catalyst: The New Chapter
According to a recent YouTube trailer, Disney gave a new look at one of its latest video game projects, Tron Catalyst. The news came during the ID@Xbox program, which is intended to bring independent developers into the limelight. Bithell Games developed the new title, an independent studio specializing in strategy titles such as The Banished Vault and Amberspire. As such, it’s surprising that Disney would turn to them for a Tron adaptation.
The game follows Exo, a program with time manipulation powers, as she fights off the CORE’s agents to uncover a glitch threatening the entire Grid’s dire state. Surprisingly, the game will be an isometric action game akin to Diablo, a stark departure from what the series was traditionally associated with. The trailer showcased Exo using the iconic identity disc in combat, along with the Light Cycle. The game launches on June 17 for consoles and PC.
The Cyberpunk Saga
While Disney rose to fame as an animation studio, it has a handful of original live-action franchises. One of its more fondly remembered films is Tron, the story of a programmer trapped in the neon digital world known as the Grid. The film is well-remembered for its visually stunning art direction and for introducing many cyberpunk ideas. In the following decades, it earned a sequel, an animated series, and the upcoming third film, Ares.
Because the Tron franchise takes place within a video game, this inspired Disney to produce several official games from the series and a few mobile games. However, none of them took off as licensed games. Before making Tron Catalyst, Bithell created the light-novelesque Identity for the same franchise, which received a mixed reception. With the upcoming reboot, Disney could be trying to create a multi-media franchise and possibly tie Catalyst to the film.
Disney’s Games
Given Disney’s reach as a corporation, they’ve naturally created hundreds of iconic games based on their IPs. Disney’s most well-known game series is Kingdom Hearts, a massive crossover collaboration with the JRPG juggernaut Square Enix and one of Tron’s most iconic gaming appearances outside the films. However, they have made very few video games that are not based on one of their pre-existing properties.
Furthermore, given Disney’s reputation for lacking experimentation, it’s surprising they’d use an indie studio known for darker games to adapt one of their franchises. If Tron Catalyst does well enough, it could inspire Disney to have more faith in its gaming division. Since purchasing Star Wars, the company attempted a similar feat by rebuilding the Expanded Universe.
Conclusion
While the game is still months away, Tron Catalyst is an interesting idea. It takes one of the most revolutionary science fiction films and explores its world using the action formula. With its iconic set pieces and visual style, the films established a world that should be explored.
In an age where many long-running franchises have gone stale or haven’t lived up to their full potential, an independent studio offering a new take on a forgotten franchise could be what the industry needs. This is just one of many games that ID@Xbox has brought to the center stage.
