G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra Beat 'Em Up Announced

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra continues the trend of the beat 'em up renaissance early next year.

By Ricky Frech

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra was announced today by developer Maple Powered Games and publisher Freedom Games. It will be the first game in the long-running G.I. Joe multi-media franchise since 2020's G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout, but this one is taking advantage of the renewed popularity of beat 'em ups to give fans a chance to hop into the shoes of their favorite Joes and beat down the Cobra Commander and his squad. G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is set to launch early next year on PC and Nintendo Switch.

To explain why the team is bringing a new G.I. Joe game to market, Hasbro's SVP of Digital Strategy and Licensing Eugene Evans said, "G.I. is one of the most iconic brands from the 80s and it was the golden era of arcade games. To celebrate the growing popularity of retro themed games we're thrilled to partner with Maple Powered Games and Freedom Games to bring G.I. Joe fans our first ever Hasbro Retro Arcade experience in this exciting interpretation of a classic 2D beat 'em up." When you look at it that way, it's clear that Hasbro is looking to capitalize on the beat 'em up trend using a property that fits right in with contemporaries like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge.

What G.I. Joe Characters Are in Wrath of Cobra?

G.I. Joe has a massive backlog of characters to pull from, so it should be fairly easy for Wrath of Cobra to deliver a roster full of fan-favorite characters. While Freedom Games hasn't made a full announcement of the roster, it has given us a sampling of the heroes we can expect at launch and promises that it will bring more "into the fray" with post-launch support. Here is a look at the current list of playable heroes:

  • Duke
  • Scarlett
  • Roadblock
  • Snake Eyes

On top of that, the team has announced some of the villains we'll be taking on at launch. Of course, this list includes grunt troops, Alley Vipers, B.A.T.s, and the iconic Trouble Bubble, but there are also several named villains that veteran fans will recognize. Here are all of the announced major villains to expect:

  • Destro
  • Serpentor
  • Baroness
  • Cobra Commander

Is G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra Coming to PlayStation and Xbox?

As of this writing, G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra has only been announced for Nintendo Switch and PC. It is very possible that the game will never come to PlayStation or Xbox consoles, but it is worth noting that developer Maple Powered Games' last release Monster Harvest did come to PS4 and Xbox One eventually. Those versions came about six months after the game's Switch and PC launch, so we could see something similar happen here. That's pure speculation though based on past trends, so don't put too much stock into it, just note that it seems relatively likely that we'll see G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra hit more consoles somewhere down the line.

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