Summary
Mad Maxisn’t necessarily an IP ripe with potential sequels—not without retreading the same rust-bucket-racing and treacherous dunes ad nauseam, at least. That said, as long as there are new adventures to tell and reboots to reimagine the universe in new ways, there may always be an audience forthe gruff loner and his journey through the wasteland. This was the case with Avalanche’sMad Maxand the IP saw its most popular entry with George Miller’sMad Max: Fury Roadearlier that same year.
This has paved a new path in the sand forMad Maxto trek andFury Road’s prequel,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is finally slated to release in theaters on May 24. Interestingly, while Avalanche’s open-worldMad Maxgame seemingly had no connection to the movies its license belongs to, it appears as thoughFuriosa’s script makesMad Maxcanon by referencing Chumbucket. Even if this was a throwaway Easter egg it could be paramount for Avalanche and be the catalyst for a sequel or spin-off game.
Chumbucket dies at the end ofMad Maxand therefore, assuming the character’s reference is legitimate and confirms the game as canon, it seems thatFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagawould be a prequel to the game as much as it’s a prequel toFury Road. Trying to determine when the game might land on the timeline may be inconsequential depending on how significant this reference is meant to be, and there’s a chance thatFuriosahas its own iteration on Chumbucket that isn’t meant to adapt the character from the game.
This would be a rather odd take, though, and having two different characters with the same name would be needlessly confusing. Either way, whetherMad Maxis distant from the storyFuriosawants to tell or correlating quite heavily, it would be exciting to seeAvalanche get an opportunity to develop a secondMad Maxgame.
One of the only issues now is that a newMad Maxgame wouldn’t be as timely in its release window to launch near a movie sharing its IP unless it was to shadow-drop in the next year. However, a new game could still take advantage ofFuriosa’s possible success in the next couple of years if it was already quietly in development and under wraps.
Mad Maxleft Max’s story entirely open and the reason why that’s a boon for Avalanche is because it could feasibly pick it back up at any point in time. AnynewMad Maxgamecould tell a segmented tale of Max’s harrowing adventures, and though it would be difficult to stir the pot dramatically or surprisingly it would be great to see how Avalanche could continue crafting lore and world-building alongside Miller’s movies.
If the two are meant to intertwine, then that’s even more fuel on the fire of possibilities because a newMad Maxgame could intersect explicitly with characters, settings, and events from these superb theatrical endeavors.
Perhaps the nextMad Maxgame could be aFuriosasequel of sorts and feature Furiosa as its playable protagonist. It’s about time the franchise extrapolated in a meaningful way and, whiletheMad Max Sagadoesn’t necessarily need one-to-one movie tie-ins, original games taking place around the movies’ ongoings could flesh it out further.
Mad Max
WHERE TO PLAY
Avalanche Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment bring you an action-adventure game set in the universe of the Mad Max franchise created by George Miller.Become Mad Max, the lone warrior in a savage post-apocalyptic world where cars are the key to survival. In this action-packed, open world, third person action game, you must fight to stay alive in The Wasteland, using brutal on-ground and vehicular against vicious gangs of bandits.A reluctant hero with an instinct for survival, Max wants nothing more than to leave the madness behind and find solace in the storied “Plains of Silence.” Players are challenged with treacherous missions as they scavenge the dangerous landscape for supplies to build the ultimate combat vehicle.In this action-packed, open world, third person action game, you must fight to stay alive in The Wasteland, using brutal on-ground and vehicular against vicious gangs of bandits. Cars are the key to survival.
