Our top 3 things we want to see from the Indiana Jones Xbox game

Xbox is almost ready to show off the exclusive Indiana Jones game that it's working on, and we're really hoping that they get these three key things right.

Ian Stokes

Published 14 Jan 2024

We’re finally going to get a look at Xbox’s upcoming Indiana Jones game, which is being developed by MachineGames, the studio behind the last couple of excellent Wolfenstein games.

Now Indy has been known to slap a Nazi or two in his time, but there is definitely a tonal difference between BJ Blaskozwitz’ reign of Nazi-killing terror and Dr Jones’ light-hearted romps, so it’ll be interesting to see what direction MachineGames have gone with.

Xbox has announced the return of the Xbox Developer Direct on January 18, and they’ve confirmed that the Indiana Jones game will be there, including a gameplay debut. So, with that in mind, here are our top three hopes for the Indiana Jones Xbox game.

Third-person, Third Reich shooting this time please

Personally, I’m hoping for a Tomb Raider/Uncharted-style third-person action-adventure extravaganza, not least because it would bring things full circle given that both of those games were heavily inspired by Indy’s adventures in the first place. Also, if I'm playing as Indiana Jones, I want to be able to see him, his iconic look is half of the appeal, convincing dudes across the world that they're cool enough to pull off the hat (we're not, sorry fellas).

But more than that, it’s exactly the kind of game that is missing from Xbox’s first-party line-up. Microsoft knows this too — remember when they paid for a year of exclusivity on Tomb Raider to pad out the lacklustre first-party output at the time?

I’m a happy Xbox gamer — I game on other platforms, but Xbox has been my daily driver for a long time now. But, as a big fan of third-person action games, it’s hard not to look at the first-party line-up that Sony has and not feel like you’re missing out. Uncharted, Spider-Man, The Last of Us, Horizon, Ghosts of Tsushima, Days Gone… OK maybe not Days Gone, but all those others.

We’ve got Gears, and Gears is banging, but the depth and breadth of these types of games available on PlayStation just blows Microsoft out of the water, and Indiana Jones is a great opportunity to change that.

Is MachineGames the team to make that kind of game? Who knows. Wolfenstein: The New Order and The New Colossus were both excellent, but their only attempt at branching out into a different gameplay style was Wolfenstein Youngbloods, and the less said about that the better. Still, I have hope that they can pull it out of the bag.

No more old man Indy

The last couple of Indiana Jones movies haven’t been anywhere near the quality of the original trilogy, and that’s putting it gently. If Microsoft and MachineGames really want to nail the spirit of Indiana Jones, they really need to go back to when he was in his prime. The movies can’t get away with that without recasting him (literally over Ford’s dead body by the sounds of it) or using that terrible de-aging CGI nonsense. Games on the other hand, can do whatever they like with their main character’s appearance.

Let’s have some classic 1930s/1940s adventures with our favorite archaeologist, dodging boulders and punching Nazis.

Open that Microsoft warchest and get Harrison Ford

Phil Spencer, this is directed entirely at you. You’ve got the cash, and Harrison Ford loves Indiana Jones so much that he’s gone on record saying “When I’m gone, he’s gone”. So don’t cheap out and get Troy Baker doing an impression (no offence Troy). Shell out the big bucks and get Harrison in for this project.

So many other games based on movie properties have suffered from this in recent years. Avengers, despite not actually being based on the movies, still couldn’t shake the feeling that you were watching a cheap parody with discount versions of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Real "can we have Iron Man, no we have Iron Man at home" energy. Let's not have that again.

We’re super excited about seeing the Indiana Jones game when it rocks up at the Xbox Developer Showcase next week. Do you agree with our hopes or do you have a different vision for Indy’s Xbox outing? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by Ian Stokes

After a decade of using TA for achievement guides, Ian has ascended the mountaintop and now runs the place (under Rich, our benevolent leader). He plays almost every genre, but especially loves RPGs & shooters. He’s also a bit of a fiend for indie titles.

With 10 years experience as a games journalist, he's worked on sites like GamesRadar, VICE, IGN, Space.com, and more. Ian graduated from Keele University with a BA in Biology and a PhD in Chemistry.