Paramount Games Studio Launches With TMNT, Marvel 1943 and Star Wars — “Games Are Now a Core Pillar” 

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By TGT Staff

On June 5, 2026, Paramount Skydance launched Paramount Games Studio — a unified in-house division that brings together Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media under a single roof, alongside Paramount’s vast IP library. The announcement came just ahead of the Summer Game Fest showcase at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where the studio revealed its first title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, a AAA action-adventure game developed by PlatinumGames.

Until now, Paramount’s gaming output had mostly been limited to licensing deals with third-party developers. The new studio shifts that model, placing games beside film, television, and streaming as a formal content pillar for the company. Below is a full breakdown of the studio, its leadership, its games, and the franchise priorities it has set out.

Shells, Starships & Superheroes: Inside Paramount’s Gaming Pivot

By The Numbers

The Studio at a Glance

Key figures from the Paramount Games Studio formation, as of June 2026.

2
Existing studios merged (Skydance Interactive + Skydance New Media)
4
Core franchise priorities: TMNT, SpongeBob, Star Trek, Avatar: The Last Airbender
2
Games already in active development (Marvel 1943 + untitled Star Wars)
$111B
Pending Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition value — would add WB Games to the fold

Interactive — Tap Any Card

Games in the Pipeline

Every confirmed or targeted title under the new Paramount Games Studio banner. Tap a card to expand.

↓ Tap any card to see game details

🐢
TMNT: The Last Ronin
AAA
+
A third-person action-adventure game developed by PlatinumGames (NieR: Automata, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden 4). Based on the 2020 IDW comic miniseries by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Tom Waltz — following the last surviving Ninja Turtle on a revenge mission through a dystopian New York City.

The project was originally announced in 2023 with Black Forest Games and THQ Nordic under the Embracer Group. That version was cancelled. After the Skydance–Paramount merger, the project was reassigned to PlatinumGames from the ground up. Former Tekken producer Yohei Shimbori is overseeing development at Platinum.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S. No release window confirmed yet. A 10-page preview comic, The Last Ronin: Training Day, arrives in stores July 9, 2026. PlatinumGames previously developed Mutants in Manhattan (2016) — a title Kittelsen acknowledged “did not get the kind of support that the Turtles deserve.” For more on Summer Game Fest’s heavy action-game slate, see Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered.
Announced — No Release Window
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
AAA
+
A World War II action-adventure featuring Captain America and Black Panther, developed by the Skydance New Media team. Creative director is Amy Hennig, former lead of the Uncharted series at Naughty Dog.

Originally slated for early 2026, Paramount confirmed in late 2025 the game would not hit that window. No new release date has been announced. Kittelsen’s comment: “It needs more time to cook.” The team is fully focused on completing this title before moving to other projects.
In Active Development
🚀
Untitled Star Wars Game
Pipeline
+
Announced in 2022, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm by the Skydance New Media team also behind Marvel 1943. Amy Hennig is attached — a return to Star Wars after her previous work at EA on a cancelled project.

Paramount’s position: “The Star Wars game is one that we’ll have to talk about after 1943, because one at a time is enough.” No platforms or timeline have been disclosed.
In Development — Post-1943
🔥
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game
Core IP
+
A 2D fighting game set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Previously licensed to an external developer, it will now be published directly by Paramount Games Studio — making it the first game released under the new label. Pre-release showings have generated positive reception.

Note: A previously announced Avatar RPG from Saber Interactive, revealed in 2024, is no longer in production. The RPG project did not survive into the new division.
First Paramount Games Studio Release
🎮
Unannounced (Ex-VR Team)
Pipeline
+
The team behind VR titles The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and The Behemoth (both from Skydance Interactive) is building a new non-VR game for PC and consoles. No title, IP, or platforms have been confirmed beyond that.
Unannounced
📺
Yellowstone, Star Trek, SpongeBob & More
Future Pipeline
+
No games have been formally announced for these IPs yet, but SVP Shawn Kittelsen confirmed the studio’s priority list extends well beyond the core four. Yellowstone, Tulsa King, Landman, Lioness, Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, South Park, Dora the Explorer, Paw Patrol, and Survivor are all in consideration.

Kittelsen’s stated approach: “We want missiles, not bullets.” The studio is being selective about which development partners take on each property rather than licensing broadly. For more on gaming titles with long-form franchise potential, see Valheim 1.0 on Nintendo Switch 2.
Under Consideration — No Titles Confirmed

Who’s Running It

Paramount Games Studio Leadership

The executive team formed at launch, June 2026.

Name Role
Tony Driscoll
Former Epic Games executive
President, Paramount Games Studio
Also EVP, Corporate Strategy & Development; leads WBD merger integration
Amy Hennig
Former co-president, Skydance New Media; Uncharted series director
Studio Creative Director
Dan Prigg
Former head of Skydance Interactive
EVP, Head of Games
Shawn Kittelsen
Former Skydance Games veteran; Mortal Kombat 11 writer
SVP, Head of Creative & Production
Julian Beak
Was co-president of Skydance New Media
Exited the company

How We Got Here

Formation Timeline

Key events leading to the studio’s launch.

March 2023
TMNT: The Last Ronin first announced — in development at Black Forest Games, published by THQ Nordic under Embracer Group. A teaser trailer and concept art were shown for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Late 2024 / Early 2025
Skydance Media and Paramount complete their merger under David Ellison. The Embracer Group’s TMNT: The Last Ronin project at Black Forest Games is cancelled. Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, previously targeting early 2026, is delayed with no new date set.
Mid-2025
The internal Paramount gaming team begins forming, combining staff from both Skydance studios. The group starts coalescing around a unified publishing and development structure.
June 5, 2026
Paramount Games Studio officially launches. The same day, TMNT: The Last Ronin — now with PlatinumGames as developer — is revealed at Summer Game Fest 2026 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is confirmed as the first release under the new label.

“This division launch marks a meaningful evolution in how we think about games — not as an extension of our business, but as a core pillar of our content strategy alongside film, television, and streaming.”

— Tony Driscoll, President, Paramount Games Studio

“We are not brand managers, and we are not IP value extractors. We are cultural stewards, and these stories, characters, and worlds mean something to the fans who invest so much of their time and money in them.”

— Shawn Kittelsen, SVP, Head of Creative & Production, Paramount Games Studio

Context

The WB Games Factor

Paramount Skydance is currently awaiting regulatory approval for its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery — a deal valued at approximately $111 billion. WB Games, WBD’s in-house gaming arm, includes Rocksteady (Batman: Arkham series), NetherRealm Studios (Mortal Kombat), Avalanche Software (Hogwarts Legacy), and TT Games (Lego titles). The pending acquisition and its gaming implications were discussed by Paramount executives at the time of the studio launch.

Kittelsen said the studio is not involved in WBD merger planning: “I can’t say anything about that, only insofar as there’s nothing to really say because we’re just focused on Paramount now.” Tony Driscoll, however, is concurrently leading the integration planning effort for the WBD transaction in his EVP role.

On the subject of Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Interactive — David Ellison’s sister’s label, involved in projects including Control Resonant, Silent Hill Townfall, and the upcoming dinosaur survival game The Lost Wild — Kittelsen confirmed there is a family relationship but no business connection between the two companies. Paramount Games Studio is focused on mainstream, broad-audience titles. Among the other major announcements at Summer Game Fest 2026: Final Fantasy VII: Revelation confirmed for Spring 2027, alongside Guild Wars 3 and Resident Evil: Veronica.

The formation of Paramount Games Studio, the launch of TMNT: The Last Ronin with PlatinumGames, the continued development of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra and the Star Wars project, and the studio’s pipeline priorities including Yellowstone, Star Trek, and SpongeBob were covered above. No release dates for those additional IP titles were confirmed as of June 2026. For ongoing coverage of major game launches and updates, see also Path of Exile 2’s latest patch and God of War: Laufey.

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