Games

John Carpenters Toxic Commando is About to Miss a Perfect Release Date

Published

4 weeks ago

October 28, 2024

john carpenter toxic commando train zombie

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando has been anxiously awaited by gamers and horror fans alike since its announcement in June 2023. With no news from the upcoming game since the release of tie-in comics for the game, many are concerned that John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando may fall behind the pace and miss a great potential release window.

The zombie first-person shooter comes from Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment, but comes from the twisted mind of horror legend John Carpenter. Carpenter is responsible for horror films like The Thing, Halloween, Escape From New York, They Live, and many, many more. Despite experimenting with classic monsters like aliens, ghosts, and vampires, Toxic Commando marks Carpenter’s first foray into zombies.

This Sci-Fi Classic Remains One Of John Carpenter’s Best Works

Table of Contents

While John Carpenter’s name may be synonymous with Halloween, he also created this iconic dystopian anti-capitalist feature.

What Is Known About Toxic Commando

Alongside the announcement of Toxic Commando, gamers know the rough premise of the game. Set in the near future, an attempt at exploiting the Earth’s core results in the release of the terrifying Sludge God. This creature begins to terraform the planet, which turns soil into scum and the living into zombies. The head scientist behind the experiment assembles a team of commandos to kill the Sludge God and its deformed cronies.

Players can shoot zombies alongside their friends in Toxic Commando on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Dark Horse released a series of comics titled John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando: Rise of the Sludge God in March of this year as part of the promotion for the first-person shooter. These prequel comics have yet to be confirmed as canon to the unreleased game.

With so much hype around the shooter and so little info to go off of, many Carpenter fans are aware that Toxic Commando could be a sailing ship. Despite its clear potential, though, it doesn’t seem primed for a Halloween release date, which would’ve been perfect.

Toxic Commando’s Release Date Has Yet to Emerge

Currently, Toxic Commando is slated to be released in 2024. Saber Interactive, Focus Entertainment, and John Carpenter have two months before that window passes. Because there is so little time left on the clock, Toxic Commando has unfortunately already missed the perfect opportunity for release.

Horror games released in October are an Occam’s razor situation. Focus Entertainment’s X page announced that a closed beta for the game would occur during two weekends in October, with specific dates undisclosed publicly. This makes an October release date for the game unlikely, especially as Halloween rapidly approaches.

Halloween would have been the perfect opportunity for Toxic Commando’s release. As the twisted mastermind behind the Halloween franchise, a Halloween release date could have also acted as a reference to John Carpenter’s catalog. Nevertheless, players should be more focused on whether Toxic Commando’s release will be pushed back, as further announcements about the date have yet to be made.

How Toxic Commando Can Still Make Use of the Halloween Season

At the very least, Halloween could act as the perfect date for new test footage or a new trailer for John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando. No official video imagery for the game has been released since Toxic Commando’s reveal trailer in June 2023. With the game currently in a closed beta, Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment have lots of visuals they could show off to eager fans.

However, this same beta could be the very reason no new trailer has been showcased. Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment may be waiting for conclusive results from beta testing before giving more information to the public. This makes the lack of an updated release date confusing. With only two months left in 2024, it seems probable that John Carpenter’s Toxic Commandos won’t hit its 2024 release window. Until more information from Saber Interactive, Focus Entertainment, and John Carpenter is given about the game, fans can likely kiss John Carpenter’s Toxic Commandos goodbye until 2025.

In the near future, an experimental attempt to harness the power of the Earth’s core ends in a terrifying disaster: the release of the Sludge God. This eldritch abomination begins terraforming the area, turning soil to scum and the living… to undead monsters! However, the genius behind the experiment has a plan to make things right. All he needs is a team of competent, highly-trained mercenaries to get the job done. Unfortunately, those are all too expensive. Which is why he’s hired…

The Toxic Commandos!

Take control of one of the commandos, team up with your friends and send the Sludge God and its horde of things-that-should-never-be back to the underworld. Choose the class that matches your playstyle, pile into your favorite ride, and unload an array of gunfire, grenades, special abilities, and freaking katanas as you save the planet.

So if you’re the kind of person who likes:

Buddy-movie vibes and the over-the-top humor, action, and horror of classic 80s cinema, inspired by the legendary John Carpenter…

Teaming up with friends to face down hordes of monsters who want to eat your face…

An explosive cocktail of visceral FPS action and apocalyptic environments…

Upgrading your skills and testing new abilities against increasingly hardcore challenges…

Saving the planet against impossible odds…

… then now’s your time to go commando!