On December 28, 1987, just a few days after opening presents under the Christmas tree,  the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon hit the airwaves for the first time. Before 1988 was out, my brothers and I were knee-deep in action figures and reruns. We watched Turtles. We wore Turtles. We played Turtles. They were everything.

One of the greatest things about the Turtles is that every generation has a unique iteration to call their own, and as a lifelong fan who still has nightmares about trying to defuse bombs underwater on my NES? I’ve been fortunate enough to get to experience every one of them. 

Thanks to a wonderfully collaborative relationship with Paramount, my team at Cortopia Studios gets to join that incredible legacy of TMNT storytellers that began with Eastman & Laird, and continued through filmmakers like Steve Barron, and incredible comics scribes like Tom Waltz, who I can’t believe we get to work with on this project. (If you only know Tom from his work on the incredible Last Ronin, it’s time to dig through the back issues and pick up his entire run on the IDW comics series. It’s an absolute top-notch Turtles experience, and might even be my personal favorite.

While we’ve seen success with titles like Gorn 2 and Down the Rabbit Hole, Cortopia has remained a smaller, scrappier VR games studio that always tries to punch above its weight. Just like how Eastman and Laird started everything more than 40 years ago, Empire City is being built primarily by passion, talent, and love for the medium. We know the TMNT game we’ve always wanted to see. And I’m happy to say we’re making it. 

It’s still a bit early to tell you everything, but I want to make it clear what we’re bringing to our version of the Turtles; the things that have always stood out to us as fundamental about the brothers and their story, and the kind of gameplay we’ve always felt could best showcase that. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a series mired in tragedy. Nostalgia might first lead us to remember the levity and humor of the franchise, but their story is one of family bonds caught in a seemingly unbreakable cycle of vengeance-fueled violence. Some comics and animated series have served to emphasize the more serious tone that comes along with this more than others, reminding us that the Turtles’ humor isn’t indistinct from gallows humor; it’s the sort of tension-breaking wisecracks that help friends manage through tough times. That’s not to say Empire City won’t let players crack a smile! It will just be the same kind of tension-breaking smile that the Turtles enjoy as they go up against seemingly impossible odds. Along with the father they find in Splinter, the Turtles are a family, and their story is one of protecting that.

The unique personalities and traits of the Turtles make them truly feel like brothers, with each holding their own interests and talents, playful (and not so playful) sibling rivalries abound, but are easily put aside when they need each other. Where you’d see commonalities among the brothers, like the effortless parkouring across rooftops and through city streets that only the strength of a mutant turtle could allow for, Empire City will see common implementations to make you feel like a Turtle. But where each of them is unique? Like in their approaches to combat? Players embodying Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, or Michelangelo will get to feel like Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, or Michelangelo. 

And just like you’d see with your favorite green boys in action, when one of them is sneaking in, strategy and stealthcraft are the name of the game. We’ve always wanted to see a Turtles video game that saw games like the Arkham series or Ghosts of Tsushima as inspirations, and in solo play, that’s very much the path players can walk.  But when you’re playing co-op with all your friends? It’s hard not to end up brawling in the streets.

We hope to be sharing more details in the coming months, and we’re excited to have you along on this journey with us. In the meantime, pick out your favorite scrap of cloth, cut out a few eye holes, and say hello to a great slice of pizza whenever you get the chance.

A little too Raph,

Ace