Netflix announced its entry into the video games industry some two years ago, and the news immediately spread like wildfire. Every element of a great gaming company was present: all the big names of the industry — apart from Amy Hennig, for some reason — and all the creative minds from Netflix’s writing rooms. It seemed, at the time, that Netflix was going to do to gaming what it did to movies and television: bring about a revolution that completely changes the way we experience entertainment.
And then, nothing. Nothing happened. Despite acquiring licenses, attaching big industry names to certain projects, and opening up a gaming studio, Netflix utterly failed to even pose a nudge to the colossal giant that is the gaming industry. In fact, the streaming giant actually pulled the plug on the very same video game studio they formed. However, it would seem that the company isn’t backing out of gaming just yet, especially since they announced a new Carmen Sandiego video game—the very definition of playing a safe card.
A new Carmen Sandiego game, the first new game since 2015, will now allow players to step into the role of the iconic thief for the first time ever in franchise history. The new game, titled Carmen Sandiego, allows players to don Carmen Sandiego’s signature red coat and hat while reimagining the character as a counter-thief who tracks down VILE operatives around the world.
Of course, the release of this game follows the release of the award-winning Netflix animated series based on the same character and carrying the same name. The series ran for four seasons on Netflix, and now the streamer is looking to capitalize on the IP further by releasing the newly announced game, as well as developing a live-action adaptation starring Gina Rodriguez. This movie will be the first major live-action story featuring one of the world’s greatest fictional thieves and is scheduled to launch in the starting months of 2025.
In the new game, players no longer chase Carmen; they are Carmen. The shift offers a fresh take on the gameplay, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in Carmen’s world of espionage and adventure. Players will now control Carmen and use various high-tech gadgets, like the hang-glider and a grappling hook, in a 3D platformer environment with plenty of stealth elements. It will also feature global locations, and the narrative will take you to places such as Iceland, Ghana, and Japan.
According to Netflix, the upcoming Carmen Sandiego will be a single-player, premium puzzle adventure experience with no pesky in-game purchases or online pay, which usually means that the progression isn’t hindered by an invisible paywall. The game is developed by Gameloft, a French video game company based in Paris, founded by Michel Guillemot, one of the five founders of financially struggling Ubisoft that’s now dealing with a class-action lawsuit from various gamers over shutting down the servers for The Crew.
Though not widely known in mainstream gaming, Gameloft isn’t really a small gaming studio, and its name has long been the synonym for quality when it comes to gaming — despite the company often being accused of cloning other properties. Many of their games have been praised for their gameplay and polished look, from the early days of Prince of Persia Java games for mobile phones (the old, not-so-smart kind) to the Asphalt series available on home gaming consoles.
So, if Netflix’s writers end up messing up the narrative the way they messed up The Witcher, gamers can count on Gameloft to deliver entertaining gameplay and polished graphics and performance. The upcoming Carmen Sandiego is currently set to release in the first quarter of 2025 (presumably along with the aforementioned live-action adaptation) and it will be available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, mobile, and the Netflix app. Considering that the game lands on mobile and Switch, it’s safe to assume that it will land on last-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles, too.
For those who aren’t familiar with it, Carmen Sandiego, also known as Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, is a media franchise based on a series of computer video games developed by Broderbund. The first game, titled Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? was released in 1985 and was classified as a mystery exploration genre, but was later reclassified as an edutainment, given that it became immensely, albeit completely unexpectedly, popular in classrooms.
Unlike the upcoming game, the rest of the franchise focuses on the fictional thief of the same name, who is the main antagonist of the show and the ringleader of VILE, putting players in the role of agents of ACME Detective Agency, whose main goal is to learn where in the world is Carmen Sandiego and how to capture her. The original franchise focused primarily on teaching kids geography but has later branched out into history, mathematics, language arts, and other subjects.
The series was highly praised due to its diverse representation of strong, independent, and intelligent minority women, with Carmen being a Latina. The gaming series has maintained massive popularity and success throughout its history, and it’s currently one of the top 30 longest-running video game series. The newest release is scheduled for 2025, and we can’t wait to don the red trench coat and hat and go after the villainous VILE.