The new IllFonic Ghostbusters game finally has a name and a release window. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an asymmetrical multiplayer experience from the devs behind Predator: Hunting Grounds, and it's coming sometime later this year.
What do we know about Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed?
The Ghostbusters have a long and storied history in the world of video games; from 1984's Ghostbusters all the way to Ghostbusters: The Video Game, there are plenty of ways to experience the world of Ghostbusters in gaming. Now, Friday the 13th: The Game and Predator: Hunting Grounds studio IllFonic has announced Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, an asymmetrical multiplayer game in which players can take on the roles of either the 'busters themselves or the ghosts. You can check out the official Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed trailer right here.
When you're playing as the Ghostbusters, you'll need to use your PKE Meter to find ghosts in each level, then pin them down with the Particle Thrower. You'll have to work with your teammates to achieve your goal, as the ghosts can be pretty slippery. Over on the ghost side of things, you can fly and teleport around the map, and in an inspired Prop Hunt-style twist, you can also inhabit inanimate objects and use them to scare civvies or Ghostbusters. Each team will have a series of objectives to complete, and each ghost has different abilities to try out. Ghostbusters and ghosts can both be customized, so you can bring your own 'buster into games.
This isn't the first dalliance IllFonic has had with 80s popular culture. Predator: Hunting Grounds and Friday the 13th: The Game are both based on seminal 80s blockbuster movies, and Hunting Grounds even got a post-launch update bringing Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic Dutch to the game. Similarly, in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, you'll be able to meet and talk with Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore, voiced by original actors Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. There's no word yet on the appearance of Bill Murray, but we're crossing our fingers (and not the streams).
When is the Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed release date?
While we don't have a concrete Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed release date yet, we do know that the game is slated to arrive in Q4 2022. Right now, the game is in a pre-alpha state, so it's unlikely we'll be getting a concrete release date in the next few weeks or even months. You'll have to sit tight and wait for IllFonic to announce something more definitive, so here's hoping we get some more news about this one soon (and that it somehow involves bringing Bill Murray into the fold).
When it does launch, the new IllFonic Ghostbusters game will hit PC, PlayStation consoles, and Xbox platforms. On PC, it'll be exclusive to the Epic Games Store, and IllFonic hasn't stated whether it'll eventually come to Steam or not. The game will feature full crossplay between platforms, though, so you'll be able to play with your buddies wherever they are. You'll also be able to enjoy Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed solo thanks to AI companions and enemy bots. Here's hoping this one has more longevity than Friday the 13th: The Game. We'll bring you more on this as soon as we get it.
