Company looks for designers, animators to “reimagine” 8-bit characters from game as 3D characters for hybrid live-action, CGI film
Image via Nintendo
©1990 コーエーテクモゲームス
Entertainment news website Variety reported on Tuesday that the creator-driven studio and platform Tongal is developing a feature film based on Koei Tecmo’s Tecmo Bowl classic American football game.
Tongal launched a pitch-submission website for the project. The company is looking for graphic designers and animators “who can reimagine the 8-bit characters from Tecmo Bowl as 3D characters for the modern era.” Tongal stated the goal would be to “incorporate these characters into a live action and CGI hybrid movie, along the lines of The Minecraft Movie.” Tongal stated it plans to blend “the game’s distinct original animation sequences with live production” in order to “capture Tecmo Bowl’s nostalgic charm with a fresh, modern approach fueled by creators around the world.”
The company is first looking for teams to develop their own version of the legendary football player Bo Jackson, who was one of the most powerful players in Tecmo Bowl.
Tongal has previously developed content for Netflix, The Lego Group, Pokémon, and NBCUniversal, and also worked on Pharrell Williams’ Piece by Piece 2024 film.
Tecmo first released the Tecmo Bowl game for arcades in 1987, and then on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989 and in Japan for the Famicom in 1990. The game introduced many players to virtual football for the first time, and the console version included football stars from the era, including Bo Jackson, Joe Montana, and Lawrence Taylor.
Sources: Variety (Jennifer Maas), Tongal via Dark Horizons
