Keanu Reeves ‘John Wick’ Character Gets Virtual Reality First-Person Shooter Game
If you enjoyed the Keanu Reeves action movie John Wick, there’s good news: You will soon get a chance to play as Wick in a first-person shooter!
A press release by game developer Starbreeze let fans of the film franchise in on their plans for a new video game.
“In a move bringing cutting edge entertainment technology to one of its most exciting new brands, Lionsgate, a premier next generation global content leader, announced today that it is partnering with leading game developer and publisher Starbreeze to launch a first-person shooter game in virtual reality (VR) based on Lionsgate’s box office hit John Wick.
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The companies will team to create a standalone, first-person shooter game based on the world and characters of the John Wick films and centered around the infamous Continental Hotel.”
If that weren’t enough, Keanu Reeves’ John Wick character will “be integrated” into the popular Payday game, allowing for crossover promotion. He’s already available as a downloadable character in Payday 2.
Fifty-year-old Keanu Reeves has been something of an action star since his turn as “Neo” in the Matrix series. Even so, few people predicted that John Wick would be a box office success. Thanks to the popularity of Wick, Reeves is slated to return as the deadly assassin in an upcoming sequel.
The Atlantic reports that the follow-up movie was completely unplanned, green-lighted only on the strength of a very positive reaction to Keanu Reeves as a feared hitman. John Wick earned $78 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.
.@StarbreezeAB Announces John Wick Virtual Reality Game http://t.co/uXvjEUG8W6 pic.twitter.com/WzAmXPCfyI
— Game Informer (@gameinformer) August 8, 2015
It’s possible that Wick as a VR game will do more than help produce buzz for the sequel — it could also help provide hype for the fledgling virtual reality industry. The game will be available on the HTC VR set Vive, which is already earning rave reviews. The Oculus Rift is also highly anticipated, and as the VR landscape evolves, consumers will hopefully have a startlingly realistic set of games to choose from.
If you prefer to see Reeves on screen rather than in the mirror thanks to virtual reality, you can opt for roller coaster rides or the horror games that will also be available in this new format.
Keanu recently wrapped up promotion of Knock Knock. He will be back later this year in the dramatic thriller, The Whole Truth. Keanu Reeves plays Richard Ramsey, a lawyer working to get his “teenage client acquitted of murdering his wealthy father.”
[Image Credit: Araya Diaz / Getty Images for Sundance]
