Fox's Futurama is one of sci-fi TV’s most beloved - if underseen - properties. From The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Futurama tells of the misadventures of Philip J. Fry, a mild-mannered, dopey 20th-century man, and his interactions with the future after he accidentally cryogenically freezes himself for 1000 years. With its cast of funny and interesting characters, zany and heartfelt stories, and fantastically executed sci-fi concepts, it’s clear why fans’ love for Futurama has persisted over the decade since its cancellation in 2013.
While primarily known for its TV show, the Futurama franchise has had four feature-length TV movies as well as two previous video games. The first game, titled just Futurama, was a cel-shaded 3D platformer released for the PS2 and original Xbox in 2003, just two days after the series’ initial finale. Despite capturing the spirit of the show (creator Matt Groening and co-executive producer David X. Cohen contributed to it), it ended up being a fairly poorly received title. The second game, 2017’s Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow, is a freemium city builder for mobile devices. A new double- or triple-A Futurama video game would breathe new life into the franchise, one that the original Futurama cast seems to be very interested in continuing.
Where a TV show needs to be held up entirely by its writing, a video game can pass on its gameplay merits. For instance, South Park: The Stick of Truth was a fairly big crossover hit, reaching an audience of gamers that weren’t necessarily big South Park fans thanks to its strengths as a solid RPG in general. If the intention of those involved with Futurama is to get the beloved property to a place of financial success, a well-made video game might be the best way to do so.
What A Futurama AAA Game Could Look Like
Without question, the gameplay would need to come first. This was the issue with the original Futurama game - it tried to focus on its story more than its gameplay, so much so that the game was condensed into a 30-minute “episode,” packaged with one of the series’ TV movies’ DVDs as a bonus feature. Even if the game had writing on-par with a great Futurama episode, if the gameplay isn’t enjoyable, the entire project just won’t work.
Thus, should a game be made, the license would have to go to an established studio, a mistake made with the series’ first attempt. For instance, The Stick of Truth was made by veteran RPG developer Obsidian, known for hits like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II and Fallout: New Vegas. Another popular game based on a Matt Groening cartoon, action-adventure game The Simpsons: Hit & Run, was notably developed by Radical Entertainment. The developer of the original Futurama game, Unique Development Studios, had only six nondescript games under its belt when it took on Futurama, which would then go on to be its final project before declaring bankruptcy.
The Futurama universe would also fit better in a video game than other attempts like The Simpsons, Family Guy, or even South Park. Specific gameplay genre aside, exploring the universe of Futurama could have a significantly broad appeal. Whether linear or non-linear, RPG or platformer, the world of Futurama just feels ripe for exploration. The show’s canon already has dozens of established planets, hundreds of unique characters, and more fun tech than one can shake a poppler at, and translating all of that into a video game would, presumably, come naturally.
Nearly a decade after its apparent final cancellation, the love for the Futurama continues among its fans and cast, with rumblings of a reboot cropping up every so often. Despite being consistently well-received, it was never a ratings darling, with the show having an unprecedented four finale episodes throughout its run. While another reboot show would be welcome among fans, the show’s history of cancellations might lend credence to the idea of taking the property in another direction.