G.I. Joe drafted by EA

Hasbro's long-running toy line G.I. Joe is storming theaters this summer, and Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment are doing what they can to ensure a multifront assault on fans' wallets. One such salvo was launched today when Electronic Arts announced development on a game "inspired by" the upcoming film.

Set for release around the time of the August 7 movie, the G.I. Joe game will pick up where the film leaves off. Despite that, EA is promising that players will be able to "re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series, and action-figure toy line," taking control of a dozen different Joes along the way. Also of note, at least some versions of the game will support a single-screen cooperative multiplayer mode, letting gamers tackle the villainous terrorist organization Cobra in tandem.

G.I. Joe will arrive on the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, DS, and mobile devices. EA did not say which of its studios had been entrusted with development duties on the game.

As enduring as the G.I. Joe brand has proven over the last four decades, gaming adaptations for the franchise are few. EA's games will mark the first Joe excursion on major consoles since 1992's NES adventure G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor from Capcom. That same year, Konami took the team into the arcades with a behind-the-back scrolling shooter. Prior to those games, the Real American Hero had been portrayed in another NES game, an Atari 2600 title, and a multiplatform computer title developed by Epyx Games.

The G.I. Joe movie game marks an extension into more traditional gaming markets for the partnership of EA and Hasbro. In August of 2007, the pair came together for a lineup of casual games based on the toy maker's popular board games and toy brands such as Monopoly, Nerf, and Scrabble.