Nacon announced today that RoboCop: Rogue City, a new first-person shooter with an original story, is in development at Teyon. The Polish company previously developed Terminator: Resistance, which was poorly received by critics but has gained a cult following since its 2019 release.
The publisher unveiled the game with a teaser trailer at its Nacon Connect showcase. It’s set to launch on PC and consoles in 2023.
According to a press release from Nacon, the game is based on the first three movies in the series. Unfortunately, the trailer doesn’t give us much more information. The 49 second spot begins with a tracking shot through a building and out over the city as a voice reads a news alert.
“Top story, Old Detroit — Crime has escalated to new heights,” it says. “Authorities are overwhelmed. OCP insists the situation is under control. And the question remains: who, or what, will send these crooks on the run, and restore peace to all citizens once and for all.”
For the uninitiated, OCP stands for Omni Consumer Products. That’s the corporation that, in Paul Verhoeven’s original 1987 film, transformed fatally wounded Detroit cop, Alex Murphy, into the titular superhuman cyborg killing machine. Given the set-up in the trailer, it sounds like RoboCop: Rogue City, like the original film, may serve as an origin story for the murderous metallic hero.
It will also serve as a reintroduction, for younger players, to RoboCop as a character. The last major entry in the franchise was the 2014 reboot, simply titled RoboCop. In the seven years since, and especially in the last year, mainstream views of police have shifted. At its best, the RoboCop franchise has served as a critique of the authoritarian power that RoboCop, and regular, un-robotic cops, wield. The original film is often viewed as a critique of Reagen-era policies and unrestrained corporate power.
But, those themes may be difficult to communicate in an FPS that is also tasked with making it feel good to shoot a lot of criminals. We’ll have to wait until 2023 to see if RoboCop: Rogue City is interested in asking those questions at all.