IDW has a pre-order event running from March 15 to April 2, 2021 for their new board game, Ghostbusters x Men in Black: Ecto-terrestrial Invasion. This game has gone through several years of development and play testing, since it was announced back in 2018. I feel like Ghostbusters and Men in Black fit together pretty well as properties, and it’ll be interesting to see how this game works.
I think a cross-over comic book series would also be pretty cool, but I believe they would have to work with Marvel Comics on that. Marvel was the most recent publisher of Men in Black comics. Men in Black was originally published by Aircel Comics, who was acquired by Malibu Comics. After that, Malibu published more Men in Black comics. And then Marvel acquired Malibu.
If you want to pre-order this game, head over to BackerKit where you can preorder today (until April 2, 2021)!
How to Play Ghostbusters x Men in Black
When you pre-order, you get exclusive extra components that are BackerKit exclusives:
- Slimer Mini & Character Card
- Louis Mini & Character Card
- Janine Mini & Character Card
- Frank Mini & Character Card
- Jeebs Mini & Character Card
- The Worm Guys Mini & Character Card
- Giant Stay Puft Boss Mini
- Giant Edgar the Roach Boss Mini
- 1 New Bonus Scenario
- 6 New Starting Weapon Cards
- 10 New Boss Deck Cards
Here is the press release:
The Boys in Gray and the Men in Black Face an All-New Threat of Alien-Ghost Hybrids in IDW Games’ New Crossover Board Game
SAN DIEGO, CA (March 16, 2021) – IDW Games and Sony Pictures Consumer Products announced today that their upcoming game, “Ghostbusters x Men in Black: Ecto-terrestrial Invasion,” is planned for release in fall 2021, with a preorder initiative taking place from March 15th through April 2nd.
Originally announced in 2018, Panda Cult Games and IDW Games recently completed development of Ecto-terrestrial Invasion. Following the original Ghostbusters and Men in Black as they partner up to take down a brand new threat, Ecto-terrestrial Invasion features a story-heavy campaign book written by Erik Burnham, the longtime scribe of IDW’s Ghostbusters comics. Throughout the game, players will choose from a series of branch points to craft a new storyline each time they play.
Aiming to capture the look and feel of a Saturday morning cartoon, IDW Games tapped fan-favorite artist Derek Laufman to create character and creature designs in his popular chibi style, and engaged Jack Lawrence (Sonic the Hedgehog), Chris Fenoglio (Goosebumps), Leonardo Ito (Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty), Luis Antonio Delgado (Ghostbusters), and Lanza Studio to create over 100 pieces of interior card and tile art.
Finally, Hector ‘Hec’ Moran was brought on to translate Derek’s designs into over a dozen highly detailed miniature sculpts. As such, Ecto-terrestrial Invasion marks the first big collaborative effort between IDW Games, IDW Publishing, and Sony Pictures Consumer Products, and stands to be one of IDW Games’ most ambitious releases to date.
IDW Games will offer Ghostbusters and Men in Black fans an opportunity to preorder their copy of Ecto-terrestrial Invasion via a limited time BackerKit. Fans that preorder will be given a number of exclusive bonuses, which will be revealed over the course of the preorder window — including crowd-favorite characters to expand this epic team-up.
During the preorder initiative, IDW Games will release a prequel story, written by Erik Burnham, that details the arrival and creation of the ecto-terrestrials, and the team-up between the Ghostbusters and Men in Black. This story content will be released piece by piece via IDW Games’ social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About The Gameplay
Ghostbusters x Men in Black: Ecto-terrestrial Invasion is a semi-cooperative game for 2 to 4 players. In it, each player will take control of one Ghostbuster and one MIB to create their team, while the ecto-terrestrials are controlled by a set of AI rules. Players will then compete with each other to bust the most ecto-terrestrials, earning them cash. In between missions, players can spend their money to buy new weapons and gear to increase their busting potential. However, missions are littered with gadget cards that can swing the busting balance in a moment’s notice. Players will need to choose their targets carefully though, as too much in-fighting can lead to the ecto-terrestrials gaining the upper hand and defeating the players.
As players bust ecto-terrestrials and complete objectives, hot sheet cards will be drawn. Hot sheets will always contain a game altering event and an ecto-terrestrial icon. Each time an ecto-terrestrial icon is revealed, a corresponding track is filled. If any of the tracks become full, a ship piece must be removed from the firehouse. A multi-chamber dice tower, the firehouse has been riddled with ship pieces from the ecto-terrestrial’s crash landing. When a piece is pulled, any number of dice might spill out, indicating how many ecto-terrestrials and of which type will spawn around the map.
