John Carpenter is making a co-op zombie video game called Toxic Commando

The director of horror classics such as Halloween and The Thing also happens to be a keen gamer and is now making his own online shooter.

Although he hasn’t made a new film in over a decade John Carpenter is going through something of a renaissance period at the moment, with the recent Halloween films, and his mastery of synthwave, leading to a new appreciation of his whole career.

There’s even talk of a sequel to The Thing but one of his many interests, that doesn’t often get talked about, is his love of video games. He likes horror games, naturally, but apparently he’s also a massive Sonic The Hedgehog geek and has a penchant for Jak And Daxter.

This has been known for some time and yet he’s had very little involvement with making games, providing music for Sentinel Returns and helping with the cut scenes for F.E.A.R. 3 and that’s about it. Now, though, he’s headlining his very own game: John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando.

Unveiled at Summer Game Fest, we’d have to say we’d never have guessed it had anything to do with him if it didn’t have his name plastered all over the logo. But we can only assume he’s also a fan of co-op first person shooters with vehicular combat.

That seems to be what Toxic Commando (not to be confused with Troma’s Toxic Avenger) is all about, with Saber Interactive acting as the developer – although which of their many studios is making it hasn’t been revealed yet.

The game’s plot sounds a lot sillier than most of Carpenter’s movies, with a monstrous Sludge God being accidentally released from the Earth’s core and turning everyone into undead monsters.

You and up to three teammates must send him back where he came from, with a variety of weapons, character classes, and vehicles.

Exactly what involvement Carpenter has had in the game has not yet been made clear, but we can only hope he’s doing the soundtrack at the very least.

‘His unique vision, unparalleled expertise in storytelling, and ability to create immersive atmospheres have helped us to elevate this all-new, 80s-inspired experience to the next level. His works have been an inspiration for years and it’s an honour to work alongside him to deliver a truly unforgettable adventure,’ says Saber Interactive.

It all seems reasonable enough, and at least it’s an original IP, if not necessarily an original idea. It’ll be released on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC sometime next year.

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