Great Scott! Back to the Future is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the announcement of a brand-new video game! Franchise co-creator Bob Gale broke the news himself. Though details are currently scarce, here’s what we know so far.
Few film franchises have left as lasting an impact on pop culture as Back to the Future. Against all odds, it has retained its devoted fanbase and even been spared from the disastrous Hollywood remakes. Now, after the success of the musical adaptation, franchise co-creator Bob Gale has revealed that a new video game is being developed. According to ComicBook.com, this is something he’s been eager to see happen for quite some time.
Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) attempts to make repairs on the Hill Valley Clocktower in Back To The Future – YouTube, MovieClips
“We’ve got a shot at a new video game based on Back to the Future,” he said. “I don’t want to tell you any more than that because I’m not allowed to, but this is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Knock on wood that it will happen.”
Back to the Future has had video game adaptations in the past, most notably the Telltale Games episodic series from 2010. The franchise has also expanded into board games and even an interactive children’s book. These games took the original movies and expanded the story. This new video game will likely be the next expansion of Back to the Future lore—something the fans have both been wanting and dreading.
As mentioned earlier, when Hollywood decides to reboot a franchise, it usually ends in disaster. Time and again there have been rumors about a fourth Back to the Future movie or even a full-blown remake. Bob Gale has been shooting down those rumors for years.
Marty McFly starts disappearing in Back to The Future – YouTube, Universal Pictures
“People always say ‘when are you guys going to do a Back to the Future 4?'” Gale once said in response to Collider. “And we say ‘f—k you.’ And you can quote me on this.” Thus, instead of another movie, he greenlit a stage adaptation. “We made three terrific movies and people kept asking for more . . . so we made Back to the Future: The Musical.“
The musical has been hailed as fantastic play with phenomenal lighting effects. The original story had to be changed a little for the stage adaptation, which some fans strongly disliked, but overall it was as faithful as could be to its predecessor. The finale (SPOILERS!) even had a dig at Hollywood remakes, with George McFly stating that his latest book, “Back to the Future 4,” would never become a movie. This was more than likely Bob Gale’s way of telling Hollywood to back down.
Time Circuits: On
Flux Capacitor: Fluxing
Wallet Status: Open pic.twitter.com/aGKWww5Mrn— MasteroftheTDS (@MasteroftheTDS) February 11, 2025
With Gale’s confirmation that the franchise’s next installment won’t be governed by Hollywood, the fans are abuzz with excitement. For instance, MasteroftheTDS, a lifelong Back to the Future fan, said on Twitter/X in response to the new game’s announcement: “Time Circuits: On / Flux Capacitor: Fluxing / Wallet Status: Open.” (For transparency, MasteroftheTDS is the husband of Raven Redgrave, AKA Writing Raven.)
Doc and Marty in Back to The Future – YouTube, Universal Pictures
It’s safe to assume that other fans are just as enthusiastic for this upcoming video game. Hopefully more news will come soon. We may not need roads where we’re going, but we certainly need more details!
What do you think? Are you excited for a Back to the Future video game? Let us know in the comments below.
Back to the Rehash
If it’s like the two NES and one Genesis games, this game is going to fail miserably. The only decent BttF game ever released was Japan-only and has never seen any sort of official port. Efforts to adapt the game are cursed, I swear.
Movies based on video games are usually awful, and video games based on movies are usually awful.
What made Sonic 1 work? When the fans said how they hated something in the trailer, the developers listened and fixed it.
Previous generations would have given up their legs to be able to get the kind of instantaneous feedback that modern day Hollywood just ignores.