While there’s much to be said about how Todd Howard spent 15 years trying to put Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in players’ hands, he wasn’t the only developer whose journey culminated in making this title a reality. For design director Jens Andersson, the road was just as long. Todd Howard originally pitched some version of this Indiana Jones game in 2009, and Andersson was supposed to work on it so many years ago. Before he even got there, though, the project fell through.
The Best War Games spoke to Andersson about his journey toward making an Indiana Jones title and how it was just as much a dream come true for him as it was for Howard and every other MachineGames developer. What this speaks to, more than anything else, is the passion behind the Indiana Jones and The Great Circle team when at least two people have a roughly 15-year-long history with the game.
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Andersson Calls The Great Circle His “Redemption”
While Howard was pitching an Indiana Jones title to George Lucas and Lucasfilm in 2009, Andersson was starting work at LucasArts as a lead designer. One of his major credits at the studio was 2010’s Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, but it wasn’t Star Wars he was drawn to LucasArts to work on. He also worked on an unspecified AAA title with LucasArts and helped develop a new IP. Those weren’t his ambitions with the studio either.
He didn’t stay with LucasArts long, but his dream at the studio was to work on an Indiana Jones title, like the one Howard had pitched and gotten rejected on that same year. For Andersson, getting to work on The Great Circle is finally completing a goal he set fifteen years ago.
While my ambition for going was to work on Indiana Jones, I sadly never got the opportunity to do so, so there’s a feeling of redemption with being able to work on Indiana Jones and The Great Circle now working at MachineGames here in Sweden. For me, Indiana Jones personifies adventure, and much of why I want to develop video games is to be able to create adventures that wouldn’t be otherwise possible.
It’s not uncommon for developers to feel a great sense of privilege when working on IPs that are deeply meaningful to them, as exemplified by developers on Star Wars Outlaws. But the fact that two of the leading voices behind Indiana Jones and the Great Circle both sought to work on an Indiana Jones title in 2009 and both wound up helping bring The Great Circle to reality is an interesting coincidence in the backstory of the game’s development.
Despite working only briefly at LucasArts and not getting to work on his dream project at the time, Andersson has positive memories of his time at the San Francisco studio:
I had the pleasure to spend a couple of years at LucasArts and ILM in San Francisco. It was truly an amazing experience, and it not only allowed me to peek behind the curtain – it also increased my respect for the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises as well as all the people behind them. The amount of thought and love that goes into creating new stories in those worlds is staggering.
That dedication to the crafting of stories Andersson experienced is still present in Lucasfilm gaming projects, including The Great Circle. MachineGames worked closely with Lucasfilm Games in an effort to ensure the most authentic licensed game experience possible, something more IP rights holders have been doing in recent years. MachineGames also did extensive character research into Indiana Jones himself as part of the development of the game and focused extreme attention on capturing the tone of the original Indiana Jones movies.
Finally, Andersson got to work with Lucasfilm to make the game he wanted to back in 2009, and now it's shipping in just a few days. The Great Circle is a full circle too.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- December 9, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- MachineGames
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- id Tech 7
- Franchise
- Indiana Jones
- Number of Players
- 1
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.
WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.
THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps,and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
