A Mad Max game helmed by one of the medium’s most prominent creators could be a reality if the man behind the post-apocalyptic franchise has his way. And right now, it’s the only thing I can think about.
George Miller, the 79-year-old director of the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, says he’d sign off on a new Mad Max game, but on one condition: his friend and recent collaborator Hideo Kojima has to be on board.
When asked about the possibility of a new game in the fiction during a red carpet premiere for Furiosa on Wednesday, the famed director said that he’d like a visionary like the Metal Gear creator have a shot. If it’s not him translating the post-apocalyptic franchise to home consoles, he’d want someone similar in the medium to take the lead.
“I’ve been speaking to Kojima here who came all the way from Japan,” Miller told Gaming Bible. “But he’s got so much fantastic stuff in his own head that I would never ask him.”
“But if someone like him could take it on,” he continued. “I know I couldn’t do it.”
Mad Max, a down-on-his-luck, borderline psychopath making his way through a wasteland of brutal slavers and marauders, is kind of the perfect video game character. From the character’s mastery over vehicle to his gritty survivalist lifestyle, Max, and the hellscape he’s perpetually stuck in, provides a perfect backdrop for a solid video game.
Despite being an clear inspiration for so many game franchises, including the Fallout series, Road Rash, and 1992’s Outlanders, only two developers have ever had the opportunity to bring Max’s adventures to life on the small screen: Gray Matter, the team behind the 1990 NES Mad Max game, and Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios, which crafted the decent 2015 game.
But it’s not by lack of interest in the property from the games industry. Miller says that he’s been asked “many, many times” about a Mad Max game, but has resisted greenlighting any projects.”
“I’m one of those people that I’d rather not do something unless you can do it at the highest level,” he said.
Despite the okay reception to the most recent video game in the franchise, which released around the time of 2015’s film Max Max: Fury Road, Miller didn’t seem to be as impressed as players were.
“It wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be,” he told Gaming Bible. “It wasn’t in our hands. We gave all of our material to a company to do it.”
If Kojima were to take on the prospect of a Mad Max game, players could rest assured that he’d handle the project with the utmost care, as the Metal Gear creator has never shied away from love of Miller’s work.
“Ever since I saw the first [Mad Max] film when I was 16-years-old, George Miller has saved me, encouraged me, and changed my way of life countless times,” Kojima tweeted after seeing Furiosa earlier month. “He is my God, and the saga that he tells is my bible.”
As I enjoyable as Avalanche’s Mad Max game was, a new game from the guy who made Metal Gear is very exciting concept, especially knowing how much of a fan he is. The possibility of Kojima penning his own script and casting his own group of Hollywood A-listers in the iconic roles as he’s done with with some of his previous game could add such a cool footnote to the storied film franchise.
If the two never collaborate on Mad Max, we know that Miller is set to make an appearance in Kojima’s next project, the sequel to his 2020 dystopian excursion. Here’s to hoping Miller decides to press Kojima on the dream Mad Max project in the lead up to its 2025 release.
