So, what happens to ‘Michael Jackson: The Video Game’?
The cover art from one of Sega's "Moonwalker" game versions in 1990.
Now that the Gloved One has become the Eternally Loved One, history awaits a verdict on Michael Jackson’s legacy, perhaps to be punctuated by toxicology test results that require several days to resolve.
If Jackson’s frail-looking body was chemically dependent, he will enter the pantheon of performers who turned to drugs in search of control over or escape from their fame-wracked emotions. Otherwise, Jacko won’t seem wacko, just vulnerable to the rigors of celebrity.
Music outlets have spewed his songs almost from the moment Jackson was declared dead Thursday afternoon. But what of the video games he starred in over the years — and one he was supposed to be starring in later this year?
For a time, Jackson was an attraction in arcades as well as the stage; his side-scrolling “Moonwalker” game from the early 1990s, also on Sega consoles, was memorable for the digitized Jackson’s white duds, the dearth of decent Jackson music in the soundtrack, and the way sparks flew from MJ’s toes whenever he dance-kicked someone to death.
Thereafter, Jackson appeared mainly as a cameo player in games, even appearing as an unlockable character in a version of “Ready 2 Rumble Boxing,” though with those high kicks and fire-spewing feet he was better suited for a UFC bout.
Then on Thursday, just after Jackson’s death, began rumors that his demise also killed further progress on a console game set for release on PlayStations 2 and 3 and Nintendo Wii this fall. The Jackson-owned MJJ Productions Inc. was said to be shepherding the project, though nothing was said before or since Jackson’s death what the game was about or how it was to be marketed.
MJJ Productions has not responded to inquiries about the alleged game, leading Game Guy to think this might be little more than part of the speculation about what Jackson was up to in his final months. He was scheduled to perform in a 50-show concert series in London, starting in July. The video game could have been a promotional tie-in to that series, which reports say was sold out long before Jackson’s death.
There’s no reason to think Jackson’s passing would undermine the project, given the public outpouring of interest in the man and his music the past couple of days. His legacy is likely to approach that of Elvis and cling to us for generations, making even more money for the Jackson empire than the entertainer might have mustered while alive.
It’ll be a little weird trying to play that Jackson video game the first time, however. Everyone would hunt for clues to his life and death in the imagery, point to sure signs of conspiracy, allege the game itself is Jackson’s last desperate message to his fans, maybe even try playing the game backward to hear if he sings “I killed Bubbles.” Players won’t want so much to enjoy the game as to channel the Gloved/Loved One’s spirit through it.
And surely that is something the accounting office at MJJ Productions would love to see happen.
Now that he’s gone, everyone is buying his album and listening to his music, and of course, everyone is concern about the development of the video game! Hopefully, they’ll revise that Moonwalker or Thriller-inspired game would be great.