For a certain generation of Americans, GI Joe was a central part of their childhoods. What began as a series of realistic army toys that coined the term "action figure" in the 1960s has expanded into one of Hasbro's most recognizable action franchises. It has spawned multiple runs of comic books, a cheesy 1980s animated series, a recent videogame, and several live-action movies. Now, courtesy of Renegade Game Studios, GI Joe will be getting a major board game release called GI Joe: Mission Critical.
The announcement was made by an official video on Renegade's YouTube channel. In the video, board game designer Scott Gaeta talks at length about GI Joe: Mission Critical. It is a cooperative board game where 1-5 players take on the roles of GI Joe with classic characters like Duke, Scarlet, and Snake Eyes, in order to fight off the forces of the terrorist organization Cobra. Cobra forces will be deployed by the game's rules and will include key villains like Baroness and Cobra Commander. The game will feature miniatures of the various Joes and Cobra forces. Each of these miniatures will be 48mm tall and will release unpainted. In addition, artwork on the game's box and various pieces will be done by Robert Atkins, the same artist behind the current GI Joe comics run published by IDW.
In addition, Renegade have confirmed that GI Joe: Mission Critical, will receive expansions and ongoing support. The base game will officially launch in October alongside its first big box expansion. For those who want to pre-order their copy, reservations will be taken this upcoming April. Furthermore, those who pre-order the game will receive something extra: a Retro Snake Eyes miniature. This version of Snake Eyes is based on his original appearance from the 1980s comics. This will include a miniature and character card, all to celebrate the franchise's 40th Anniversary. This model is consistent with Renegade's ongoing release schedule of tabletop games based on Hasbro's properties which have included competitive deck-builders and officially licensed tabletop RPGs.
As for GI Joe: Mission Critical's MSRP and how it will play, there isn't much to go on. Aside from an official GI Joe newsletter sign-up on Renegade's website, there are currently no further details about how much the base game and expansion will cost. As for how the game will play however, the artwork in the video does suggest that it will have the same fundamental system as Jonathan Ying's Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid. As for how much this game will change outside of aesthetic switches of intellectual property remains to be seen.
