Plarium teams with Skydance to create Terminator Genisys mobile game

Israeli game publisher Plarium is teaming up with Skydance Media to make a mobile game based on the Terminator Genisys film.

The title based on the reinvigorated Terminator series will debut on iOS and Android devices in early 2017. Like Plarium’s other titles, such as Stormfall: Age of War, it will be a massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game. It will feature the themes, experiences and characters from Genisys. And players will have the option to play as either The Resistance or the Machines in the game.

Tel Aviv-based Plarium has steadily been leveling up. It has more than 250 million registered users to date, and it recently added actress Megan Fox to portray a main character in Stormfall: Rise of Balur. It makes sense for movie companies such as Skydance Media to target mobile games, which have become a $34 billion business worldwide.

“Mobile games have incredible potential to expand the universe of characters and experiences we have created for a movie and provide audiences and fans with a brand new perspective on our content,” said Jesse Sisgold, chief operating officer at Skydance Media, in a statement. “Plarium has had great success in creating state-of-the-art MMO titles and we look forward to working with them to bring our Terminator franchise to mobile devices in highly engaging new ways.”

Terminator Genisys was the fifth film in The Terminator series popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the story, John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back in time to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future. An unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: to reset the future.

The game will follow the struggles of The Resistance, whose soldiers are in a state of civil war over the few resources and weapons that remain. Players start the game as the machines begin to wake up. But this time, without central command to dictate their actions, players will have the option to lead a Resistance Commander or Skynet Command Node as the war between machine and man continues.

“We all grew up on the Terminator franchise as kids, and bringing the essence of Terminator Genisys to a game together with the innovative team at Skydance is a great aspiration we took on”, said Leonard Frankel, head of business development for Plarium, in a statement. “In this game we will call upon our players to pick sides and make history: help humanity prevail or crush it. This will be epic.”

Plarium was founded in 2009 and it has become one of Israel’s biggest game companies, with more than 1,000 employees. Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create elevated, event-level entertainment for global audiences.