Gamers must have collectively done something pretty terrible because fate is about to punish them with another Shaq game.
Former National Basketball Association superstar Shaquille O’Neal is teaming up with indie studio Big Deez Productions to make Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn, a brawler title that has the four-time NBA champ beating up his enemies using his fictional martial-arts style. It is also a sequel to the 1994 Genesis and Super Nintendo fighter, Shaq Fu, which is notoriously awful. Big Deez, which has veteran developers who worked on the Halo and Street Fighter franchises, is now looking for crowdfunding. The developer is asking gamers to raise $450,000 through the community-contribution platform Indiegogo. In addition to the crowdfunding, O’Neal and Big Deez will also invest their own money in the project.
The original Shaq Fu is best known as a clunky Mortal Kombat clone. O’Neal agrees with those who think it stinks, but he also believes that his Big Deez team can reclaim the Shaq Fu name for good.
“I’ll admit it: Shaq Fu was a horrible game,” O’Neal said in a statement. “I’m a huge fan of video games and want to have my name associated with a Shaq Fu game that I’m proud of and would like to play,” he said. “This is my second chance, and it’s even better this time since I’m able to partner with the fans to make this happen.”
Instead of building a 1-on-1 fighter, A Legend Reborn is much more like the classic Sega title Streets of Rage. Shaq walks around and beats up one guy after another. It will feature a combo system, weapons, and co-op multiplayer.
The game is coming to PC, but if Big Deez raises enough money, it will port it to other platforms. At $650,000, it will appear on iOS and Android. Higher goals have the potential for Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Vita, 3DS, and Wii U releases. It all just depends on the response from fans.
“Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is a great example of how developers and celebrities can directly reach and partner with the fans to create something that otherwise wouldn’t get made,” Indiegogo gaming lead John Vaski said. “We are thrilled to be able to be part of Shaq’s videogame redemption story.”