Summary

  • Todd McFarlane would like to see a new Spawn video game made.
  • Despite previous appearances in Mortal Kombat, Spawn hasn't had his own game since 2003's Spawn: Armageddon for PlayStation 2.

Legendary comic creator Todd McFarlane has expressed interest in bringing possibly his most famous creation, Spawn, back to the world of video games after an absence that's spanned more than two decades. McFarlane has been waiting for the right moment to launch a new Spawn game, and with Blumhouse's King Spawn movie on the horizon, that time may be drawing near.

McFarlane's comic career has seen a lot of highlights. He had a big breakthrough in 1988 for his artistic work on The Amazing Spider-Man #298, and his other notable credits include work on The Incredible Hulk and Batman: Year Two, but Spawn, a vengeful former mercenary turned Hellspawn, is likely his most well-known original character. He's been asked for years about the next Spawn video game, but none has surfaced since 2003.

Mortal Kombat Mobile Spawn
Spawn is Coming Back to Mortal Kombat, But Not MK1

Mortal Kombat 11 guest character and legendary comic antihero Spawn is returning to punish evildoers, but not as a DLC fighter in Mortal Kombat 1.

By 

McFarlane voiced his desire for a new Spawn game during a video interview with IGN that was published on July 26. Asked whether he would want there to be a new Spawn game, he responded in the affirmative, although he pointed out that he has been "holding back in certain categories until we can get a launch that is big and meaningful." Typically, he explained, that means the game would have to come out in conjunction with a television show or movie, and with Blumhouse's King Spawn looking at a 2025 release window, he is looking forward to a big wave of merchandise that could include video games. McFarlane's comments about the potential for a new Spawn game come around the video's 9:52 mark.

List of Spawn Video Games

  • Todd McFarlane's Spawn: The Video Game, SNES, 1995
  • Spawn: The Eternal, PlayStation, 1997
  • Spawn, Game Boy Color, 1999
  • Spawn: In the Demon's Hand, Arcade/Dreamcast, 2000
  • Soulcalibur 2, (Xbox version only), 2002
  • Spawn: Armageddon, PlayStation 2, 2003
  • Soulcalibur II HD Online, Xbox 360/PlayStation 3, 2013
  • Mortal Kombat 11, PlayStation 4.Xbox One/Nintendo Switch/PC, 2019
  • Mortal Kombat Mobile, Mobile, 2024

The first video game starring Spawn was Todd McFarlane's Spawn: The Video Game, a side-scrolling beat 'em up that was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. That was followed by action-adventure games Spawn: The Eternal for PlayStation in 1997 and Spawn for Game Boy Color in 1999, as well as 2000 arcade and Dreamcast game Spawn: In the Demon's Hand. While McFarlane's creation has made appearances in games like Mortal Kombat 11, the dark superhero hasn't had a game of his own since the PlayStation 2 hack-and-slash adventure Spawn: Armageddon in 2003.

McFarlane is proud of his work with comics, although he seems to admit that it is a niche market, and he pointed out the need to break through the "comic book bubble" in order to reach a larger global audience. He made a comparison to The Walking Dead, which began as a comic book in 2003 at Image Comics before being picked up as a television show with AMC in 2010. When the show premiered, he said the comic book was selling about 85,000 copies, while the television show at one point had a viewership of 23 million, highlighting the reach of electronic media over comic books. With a reception like that, it's much more likely fans will finally see another video game starring Spawn.