Xbox Partner Preview: Crafting the Game That Every RoboCop Fan Has Wanted

Behind every creative work, there’s a purpose. At Teyon, we create games to entertain, but we want this entertainment to add value, to provoke questions, and to draw attention to issues that are important to us. The film, “RoboCop,” with its blend of entertainment and universal, timely themes, was the perfect choice – our team’s passion for the cybercop merely added to the enthusiasm.

Our approach involved staying true to the source material, while creating something original. We meticulously dissected the RoboCop universe to capture its essence. Elements like dark humor, ’80s vibes, retro sci-fi, and early cyberpunk were embraced to recreate the atmosphere of the movies. Then we worked with one goal in mind, which was to make every fan’s dream come true: to play as RoboCop.

One critical aspect we focused on was RoboCop himself. He’s a complex character whose existence raises questions about humanity and the role that the “human factor” plays in law enforcement. He is a cyborg created from the brain of a murdered police officer, Alex Murphy, a loving husband and a good father.

Unfortunately, he lost everything when he became RoboCop, except some of his original memories. Some consider those to be glitches to his programming, while others see them as his humanity that has been preserved. In RoboCop: Rogue City, players are invited to explore these dichotomies, where the lines between humanity and machinery are blurred.

One way for players to explore these issues is to experience these recurring visions of Murphy’s past life in the game. In the game, we give players a unique perspective of being RoboCop by putting players inside his armor. They can experience what it is like to be him on a level that movies could only partially allow.

One of the most touching scenes in the movie is when RoboCop returns to Alex Murphy’s home; his home. His family is no longer there, but the audience looks at the house from his point of view. They see his memories. In our game, we wanted to enhance that experience and let gamers relive his memories in a more intense way.

The second area we wanted to explore was the dichotomy surrounding RoboCop’s existence. Some people, like Agent Lewis, consider him human; while others, like OCP members, only see him as a product since Alex Murphy is legally dead. In the game, players will have the chance to delve into his psyche and understand his state of mind, especially during a mandatory psychiatric evaluation.

Working with Peter Weller was of course an honor and a childhood dream come true. During the various recording sessions, in which we recorded hundreds of voiceover lines, he slipped back into his character in no time. He also gave us lots of feedback and advice on the character’s tone.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hold the rights to RoboCop, and the people at MGM Interactive are also hardcore fans of the movies. They gave us invaluable insight, which guided our team and helped us stay true to the source material. We made sure that every single decision we made was approved and in line with the lore.

Thanks to this feedback and a great deal of preparation, the team was able to rise to the challenge of creating the best RoboCop game possible that fans (like us) have wanted to play for a long time.

RoboCop: Rogue City is set to release on November 2, 2023, for Xbox Series X|S and is currently available for pre-order on the Xbox Store. Stay up to date with the latest news, developer blogs and trailers by following us on Twitter, joining our official Discord server, or visiting our official site.