When the Turtles want to visit the streets of New York, all it takes is a pop of a manhole cover – but for the Cortopia team, our trip took a little more planning. This past month we boarded a plane in our home city of Stockholm, Sweden bound for New York Comic Con – and behind closed doors, 250+ attendees got their first-ever look at the combat of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City. And while I know you’re eager to see it too, we couldn’t help but want to be a part of that time honored Comic Con tradition of “you had to be there.”

 But that doesn’t mean I can’t drop a hint or two as we recap our incredible week in New York.

Before our panel we had the good fortune of speaking with some of the most enthusiastic Turtles fans working in media today, where they had a chance for a first-ever hands-on with Empire City. The experience they demoed wasn’t focused on combat, but on another aspect of the game we’re quite proud of: the Turtles’ lair. Every incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sees the boys and Splinter making their home in the tunnels under New York City, and Empire City is no exception. 

Between missions players can retreat to the lair to talk with fan-favorite characters like April and Casey, toss some shurikens at a dart board, shoot some hoops, and generally just pal around. Shared VR spaces come alive when friends can hang out and interact at their own pace. In Empire City, that can happen above ground too – but we’ve really provided a danger-free sanctuary for players in the Lair. 

While we were excited for all of our visitors, there was one in particular that stood out: while we were all baking bread during the pandemic, Eric Francisco of Esquire learned how to use nunchuks – and he gave our implementation of Mikey’s trademark weapon high marks! Validation like that doesn’t happen every day, and we couldn’t be more grateful to Eric for sharing his thoughts.

Walking the show floor this year, our team interacted with hundreds of excited Turtles fans. It was a banner year for Shellheads at New York Comic Con – and not just because of us. From Paramount’s World of TMNT launch to Turtles Magic: The Gathering cards and previews of upcoming NECA TMNT figures, it seemed like Leonardo,  Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo were everywhere.

On our panel I was joined by Tom Waltz our story consultant and the legendary comics writer behind the first 100 issues of IDW’s TMNT run, as well as The Last Ronin – where in addition to combat we talked quite a bit about the game’s story and setting. We can’t recap everything in just one developer diary, but we definitely want to share some of the highlights! 

Is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City inspired by a particular era of Turtles?

• While Empire City exists in its own canon, it would be hard to not be inspired by Tom’s work for IDW. We like to think of Empire City as being “IDW-adjacent.”
• Our story draws inspiration from the Mirage-era classic story “City at War.” It’s not a direct remake, but a lot of the same core beats are there. Shredder is gone. A power vacuum emerges. Karai steps into the fray.

Are you playing a specific Turtle?

• You can pick from any of the Turtles (and join with up to three friends to bring the brotherhood together)
• More importantly, though, you’re playing your version of that Turtle. Does your Donny get tech heavy, and would he swing his bo first and ask questions later?  Would your Raph hold back and survey the scene instead of barrelling in head first to bash Foot Soldiers, or give into his hotheaded ways?
• Our #1 goal with Empire City was to build the ultimate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fantasy experience. There was a feeling of limitless freedom when you’d play Turtles with your friends in the backyard – and that’s the feeling we’re chasing here.

So… can I see combat now?

• Not unless you have a time machine and a ticket to Comic Con! 😛 
• Don’t worry, the first public reveal is coming fairly soon. Keep your eyes peeled, and we’ll see you back here for the first look.