Skip to main content

Paramount brings Star Trek reboot to video games

The shadow of the Star Trek franchise is enormous, not just in film and television (where it has generated nearly a dozen feature films and half a dozen TV series) but in technology and gaming as well. Star Trek’s original flip-open communicators were an inspiration for the mobile phone; the ubiquitous “pads” that littered Trek series from the 80s and 90s are in some ways the predecessors of today’s iPad and Android tablets. And Star Trek has an enormous history in computer gaming: some of the first true computer games were actually Star Trek games designed to run on time-sharing mainframe computers, and innumerable Trek titles have littered the shelves, hard drives, and game consoles of gamers for generations.

Star Trek videogame screenshot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Now, Paramount has decided its time for another: Paramount Digital Entertainment has confirmed it plans to launch a new game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PCs a year from now, subbed simply Star Trek. The new game will be based on J.J. Abram’s successful 2009 reboot of the Trek franchise that recast iconic characters from the original television series and set them off on an alternate timeline where they can have new adventured relatively unencumbered by the enormous legacy of the canonical Star Trek universe.

Recommended Videos

The game will feature co-op play with players cast in the roles of Kirk and Spock; Paramount promises the game will deliver a stand-alone story where the characters have to work together to (of course) save the galaxy from a “legendary” enemy race. The game’s story is from God of War writer Marianne Kraqczyk, in collaboration with Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who are now leading the Trek film franchise.

Star Trek challenges the boundaries of co-op gameplay with a galactic adventure that gamers and fans have never experienced,” said Paramount Digital Entertainment president Tom Lesinski, in a statement. “Working closely with the Star Trek filmmaking team throughout development, the game is sure to deliver AAA production values, a wide variety of gameplay, and all the action you would expect from the hit franchise.”

The game is under development at Digital Extremes (responsible for BioShock 2 and Unreal Tournament). Paramount is promising a first look at the title at next week’s E3 Expo in Los Angeles.

Geoff Duncan
Former Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Xbox Game Pass in September is all about sims, strategy, and star truckers
Key art for Age of Mythology: Retold.

If you like sims, strategy games, or driving various vehicles, you're in luck with Xbox Game Pass in September. Xbox announced the games coming to its subscription service in the first half of the month, and it includes a seemingly random, smaller list of releases that hones in on a couple of specific player types.

The big addition from an Xbox perspective is Age of Mythology: Retold, which is hitting the platform at launch on September 4. The real-time strategy game is published by Xbox Game Studios, so it's of course making a day-one appearance. It's developed in part by World's Edge, the makers behind the Age of Empires series, but instead of real-world armies, you'll pit mythological figures against each other.

Read more
Spongebob’s Patrick Star is getting his own video game this fall
Patrick Star stands in front of Biking Bottom in The Patrick Star Game.

SpongeBob Squarepants ™: The Patrick Star Game – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch

Patrick isn't playing second fiddle to SpongeBob in the latest game set in Bikini Bottom. Spongebob Squarepants: The Patrick Star Game was revealed during the August Nintendo Direct as a full game starring the pink starfish. It will arrive on October 4.

Read more
PS Plus adds Star Wars and Five Nights at Freddy’s games in August
Lego Finn holding a lightsaber.

Sony has revealed the three games that will be available to subscribers of all PlayStation Plus tiers throughout August, and it's a fantastic batch of games. Starting August 6, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, and Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights will be available to redeem.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the latest entry in one of the most iconic series of licensed video games out there. It's more ambitious than many other Lego games, as it gives players several intricately recreated worlds to explore in addition to playful retellings of all nine films in the mainline Star Wars saga. It's kid-friendly and fun in co-op, so it's the PS Plus game to download this August if you're looking for something to play with your family.

Read more