The Ghostbusters Game That Fans Should (But Never Will) Get

Why am I all drippings with goo?

In 1984, the world was introduced to a quartet of nobodies that quickly found themselves as the uncelebrated saviors of New York City. While in-universe the Ghostbusters fell under much ridicule and scrutiny despite thwarting a substantial supernatural threat, the real world became enamored with the boys in gray, spurring a franchise that just celebrated its 39th birthday.

At its core, Ghostbusters isn’t a tale of redemption or the power of friendship. It doesn’t have a grand, sappy message viewers are meant to walk away with, and it’s certainly not an action-packed epic fueled by big explosions and massive setpieces. In fact, the characters are quite the opposite of your typical Hollywood hero. They’re all where they are out of necessity, with one taking out a second mortgage on their childhood home to finance a hail-mary business venture and another solely taking a risky, ludicrous job hunting ghosts for a “steady paycheck.” Ghostbusters is down-to-earth while retaining that hint of mysticism as the titular crew goes up against paranormal pests that they barely even understand. 

As I watched Ghostbusters for the millionth time, the gamer in me couldn’t help but wonder if there was maybe a developer perfectly poised to tackle the more pragmatic side of the franchise. In its prime, Telltale Games tackled some very notable pop culture universes, from the jungles of Isla Nublar (Jurassic Park) to the mean streets of Gotham City (Batman: The Telltale Series). Each episodic tale is a new story, integrating core elements from the source material that preceded it to expand universes and appease fanbases. 

Seeing what the team has done to Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, Bill Willingham’s Fables, Back to the Future, and Guardians of the Galaxy, I don’t think I’m out of line in saying Ghostbusters could have benefited from Telltale’s narrative chops. Unfortunately, the original developer was dissolved in 2018 and mostly absorbed into LCG Entertainment, Inc. However, AdHoc Studio emerged from Telltale’s closure, comprised of four visionaries responsible for many of Telltale’s successes.

Just as it’s doing to complete The Wolf Among Us 2, LCG (which does business as Telltale Games) can bring in AdHoc to work on the narrative elements of an episodic Ghostbusters game. The Real Ghostbusters and IDW Publishing have long since proven that the world conceptualized by Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman can work in a narrative-driven, episodic format.

Compartmentalized stories, which span the original Ghostbusters and franchised locations in later comics, have been some of the series’ best material, and it would be interesting to play through a Ghostbusters game that’s less about throwing proton streams at an increasingly more powerful evil and more about the Ghostbusters themselves, the company’s impact on the public and growth across the globe, and the research into supernatural threats that would otherwise be sidelined in an action-focused game (a la 2009’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game). 

As much as I enjoyed (and continue to play) the 2009 game, the gameplay loop is fairly simple and repetitive. With some tweaks, it would fit perfectly in a game that aims to push the narrative into the spotlight of an interactive adventure. Telltale’s library has never been gameplay-focused, with QTE’s and dialogue choices making up much of the player’s interaction. Story and character development are the prime focus, and I’d love a medium that really explores the potential depth of the Ghostbusters universe.

Dare I even suggest that maybe one whole episode be devoted to the original investigator of the supernatural and creator of the authoritative spirit guide, Jonathan Horace Tobin? There’s a surprising amount of content that can be explored without rehashing another Gozer storyline, especially considering how expansive the universe is getting with a new live-action movie, a new animated movie, and a new virtual reality game.

Is it likely we’ll ever get such a game? Where we’re pressing “X” to throw a trap and choosing to further deteriorate the relationship with Walter Peck by choosing the snarkiest response? No, I certainly won’t be betting on it. 

But I also never would have bet on getting a theatrical send-off to the late Harold Ramis seven years after his passing, so I’m definitely no psychic.