The upcoming film Space Jam: A New Legacy is now getting an Xbox-exclusive arcade-style beat-em-up game, as announced by Bugs Bunny himself. The animated rabbit and his new co-star LeBron James announced a mystery tie-in game for their upcoming big-screen adventure back in December, with fans being able to pick the genre and submit ideas.
Set for release on HBO Max on July 16, the sequel to 1996’s bizarre-yet-fondly remembered live-action/animated hybrid sports comedy Space Jam will have NBA superstar LeBron James fill in for Michael Jordan as a basketball player who teams up with the iconic Looney Tunes to challenge an evil AI (Don Cheadle) to a high-stakes game of hoops against a virtual team called the Goon Squad. Space Jam: A New Legacy features both 2D and CGI animation, and will include cameos from several Warner Bros properties in addition to Buggs and friends. Given the film involves a massive VR simulation centered around franchises that most of the general public grew up on, it isn’t that much of a surprise that WB is putting out a tie-in video game in an equally nostalgic style.
According to IGN, Xbox and developer Digital Eclipse announced Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game, a side-scrolling beat-em-up that will release as an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate exclusive on July 1, before coming to the Microsoft Store on the 15th. Bugs Bunny revealed the game in today’s Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game YouTube trailer, mentioning how fans were asked for their ideas and joking that Granny programmed it herself as gameplay footage shows Bugs, LeBron, and Lola Bunny battling robotic enemies and Goon Squad bosses. In addition, Xbox is releasing a line of exclusive Space Jam-themed controllers to commemorate A New Legacy.
Digital Eclipse is well-versed in licensed arcade side-scrollers, as it has previously developed such games as The Disney Afternoon Collection, Blizzard Arcade Collection, and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Meanwhile, the first Space Jam movie received a video game tie-in back in the mid-90s - a 2D basketball title for the original PlayStation that was largely panned by critics.
While some fans may be surprised that the Space Jam: A New Legacy game is a beat-em-up instead of an NBA Jam-style basketball sim, the trailer does show some colorful graphics and fun fighting moves – not to mention Digital Eclipse’s pedigree with the genre. Players will get their chance and do their dance with LeBron James and the Tune Squad when Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game launches on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on July 1, just in time for the movie.
Source: IGN