There have been many franchises brought to the HeroClix line, but few of them have had the same potential that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles represent. After all, this is a deep franchise with plenty of different characters and concepts to work with. Perhaps that is why WizKids and Nickelodeon finally got together and came to an agreement on the development of the first ever TMNT HeroClix game. Many fans will tell you that this has been a long time coming, because there are a lot of shellheads out there who have been clamoring for a Ninja Turtles HeroClix game for quite some time.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that we ever saw the turtles in a tabletop game. In fact, there was an entire series of TMNT role playing games that came out of the 80’s and 90’s. Loosely based on the popular role playing games of the time (not quite Dungeons & Dragons, but similar in concept), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness was a tabletop role playing game that put you in the role of your favorite mutants. As the series developed, there were so many creative possibilities that it was almost mind boggling.
Unfortunately, we haven’t really seen anything that could even compare to that game since, which is why this news is so awesome for both younger and older fans. After all, I’m sure there are some older fans out there who wouldn’t mind a return to tabletop TMNT games, and the younger fans will most likely enjoy the HeroClix game as well. Being that the game is fairly simple to play and incredibly collectible, this pairing between WizKids and Nickelodeon seems like a match made in heaven.
If you’re wondering just how deep the game will be, rest assured that they have the opportunity to take this series as far as they want to. Apparently, WizKids has obtained a license that will allow them access to literally any version of the turtles, which means that we could easily see both old school and new school TMNT HeroClix games hitting the shelves very soon. They’ve also obtained a license for their Dice Masters games, so we’ll more than likely be seeing some dice based tabletop TMNT games entering the market as well. It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like the turtles are finally returning to tables all over the world.
Manuel Torres, Senior VP for Global Toys and Publishing at Nickelodeon, had this to say about the news:
“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are classic and beloved characters, and we can’t wait to see them integrated into WizKids’ tabletop games. We are as excited as our fans are to see Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Shredder and more come to life in HeroClix and Dice Masters.”
Who could have known that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would find their way back into tabletop gaming? Whether you’re a fan of WizKids or you just can’t wait to see more TMNT games hit the market, let us know what kind of TMNT game you’d like to see in the comments below.
