The Walking Dead creator reckons Activision FPS “could be a worthwhile experience”

The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman reckons the in-development Activision first-person shooter based on the hugely successful zombie horror TV series “could be a worthwhile experience” because of the characters it focuses on.

The game revolves around the Dixon brothers, who do not appear in the comic but are among the TV series' most popular characters. Because of this, Kirkman reckons the FPS could be okay.

“I will say that this game is very much the Dixon brothers' game,” he told Game Informer. “These two characters don't exist in the comic, so the ability to play as those characters and learn more about those characters, who are very popular in the show, could actually push this game over the top and make it a worthwhile experience.

“That's what I'm hoping for.”

Kirkman's latest comments are something of an about turn. Earlier this year he said he wouldn't like to see Walking Dead turned into a shooter. Then, as if by magic, Activision announced The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, developed by Terminal Reality (Ghostbusters, Kinect Star Wars) and due out on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013.

Kirkman addressed this quote: “I know there's a quote out there where I said, 'it would be dumb to do a first-person Walking Dead game because there are so many that it wouldn't be something that would be competitive in the marketplace, and you'd always be compared to Left 4 Dead so why bother.'

“I don't think AMC read that quote.”

The shooter is licensed by Activision from AMC and so is based on the TV show, not the comic books. This means Kirkman isn't as involved as he was with Telltale's superb Walking Dead episodic series, although he's “looking at stuff”.

“I'm aware of its existence,” he said.

“I know Activision is working very hard to make a cool-looking game and I'm hopeful it will be something that is worthy of the Walking Dead brand.”

This alternate take on the franchise casts players as Daryl Dixon and his outlandishly racist brother Merle as they go on a "haunting, unforgiving quest to make their way to the supposed safety of Atlanta".

Gameplay will be a mix of action and stealth as players attempt to avoid detection. Resource management looks to play a big part in it, and you'll encounter NPCs who can either help or hinder you based on your choices.