Generations of children have grown up with the G.I. Joe series of toys from Hasbro. Since it was first released in 1964 under the name of America’s Movable Fighting Man, the franchise has expanded vastly to represent soldiers and other military service personnel of different eras and countries. Now, the franchise is expanding to new frontiers in the form of a new board game powered by the Axis & Allies gameplay engine.
The Game Will Be Powered by the Axis & Allies
G.I. JOE: Battle for the Arctic Circle will bring together the time-honored franchise to the tabletop strategy gaming community with its utilization of Axis & Allies. The game engine will allow players to experience the saga between G.I. JOE and Cobra in a new light.
The tabletop title will have many features characteristic of the iconic brand of toys, such as the Snow Cat, W.O.L.F., Skystriker, and Rattler, alongside more than 110 other figures. Players will be tasked to take control of the Arctic Circle from their opponents. But deploying their troops may not be enough, as their enemies could use different strategic options, such as the Weather Dominator to freeze the sea to block pathways or create strategic land bridges.
Scott Gaeta, president and publisher at Renegade Game Studios, the company developing the game, said the combination of G.I. JOE and the Axis & Allies game engine will work tremendously well together. “G.I. JOE was the perfect fit for our new line of games powered by Axis & Allies. Now fans of wargames and the world’s ultimate fighting force can come together for an epic experience.”
Some longtime fans of the franchise might be worried if G.I. JOE would be translated well onto the board. However, Renegade Game Studios has a lot of prominence in the world of tabletop games. Having been established in 2014, the company has amassed a large catalog of various award-winning titles. Among them are other licensed games from popular franchises, such as Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid and Transformers Deck-Building Game.
Furthermore, Renegade Game Studios has won awards for its games Raiders of the North Sea and The Fox in the Forest. To add to potential buyers’ certainty of the future product, it should be noted that the company has already worked with the G.I. JOE franchise, namely by releasing the G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game.
The new Battle for the Arctic Circle will be released sometime in 2024, allowing players to fight for control over the frigid lands up North.