Indiana Jones and the Great Circleclosed out the year with a surprisingly strong performance. Many were curious to see howIndiana Jones and the Great Circleinterpreted the iconic film franchise, and it thankfully nailed its adaptation. Developer MachineGames brought players an exciting first-person action-adventure, and that success has raised questions of whether there is a sequel on the table or not.
Reports have suggested thatDisney is open to moreIndiana Jonesgames. This is just a rumor at the moment, but if it’s ever proven to be true, thenThe Great Circle’s predecessor will want to be careful with the locations it chooses for its settings.The Great Circlemay not be a film, but its ability to nail the franchise’s tone and spirit makes it feel right at home in the lore, so another game would benefit best from exploring new horizons.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Sequel Has to Continue Staying True to the Film Franchise
Locations Featured in The Great Circle
SinceThe Great Circleis set between the events ofRaiders of the Lost ArkandThe Last Crusade, the locations featured throughout the game help keep it connected to the film franchise. However, if a second game is in the cards, then MachineGames will have to be careful not to showcase a location that Indy has yet to canonically visit in the movies. Retconning theIndiana Jonesfranchise by placing Indy in a setting that he hasn’t visited yet in the film series is bound to not only upset longtime fans, but it can also disruptthe charm that madeThe Great Circleso successful.
One ofthe strongest qualitiesThe Great Circlehas going for itis how natural it feels in the franchise’s timeline. Taking Indy to an area that messes too much with the canon timeline would likely be a major misstep. When discussing the game’s canon status with Variety, Lucasfilm Games vice president Douglas Reilly stated, “we work closely with the studio and franchise management, so yes, it is meant to be an authenticIndiana Jonesexperience, in that sense.”
Indy is played by Troy Baker inThe Great Circle.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Has Plenty of Space to Work In
Despite the walls put up by certain future canonevents in theIndiana Jonesseries, Reilly made it clear toVarietythat there is still room to play around with Indy’s adventures. “I think we’re always looking for great stories, and the good news is, there’s a lot of space in between the films where we could tell more and moreIndiana Jonesstories that I think would be super interesting.” So, whether a sequel toThe Great Circlesought to be a prequel instead or still wanted to explore yet-to-be-revealed adventures that occur betweenRaiders of the Lost ArkandThe Last Crusade, there remains flexibility.
The Great Circlecomes to PS5 in spring 2025.
Granted, there has already been a lore retcon discovered inThe Great Circle.The story behind Noah’s Ark gets a bit of a shake-up, but this rework ultimately makes its place in theIndiana Jonesfranchise more compelling. A lore divergence that completely changes the canon of where Indy visits a place at a certain period in his life could prove to be a step too far.
Now thatThe Great Circlehas made waves with its success, only time will tell if MachinesGames gets a second swing at a funIndiana Jonesadventure. With hope formoreIndiana Jonesgamesnow being higher than ever, it will be fascinating to see where a potential sequel takes players.
