NYCC: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Are Ready for Their Next Mission, First-Ever VR Game

The next mission for our heroes in a half shell is taking place in the digital world. At New York Comic Con (NYCC), fans saw gameplay for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (TMNT) first-ever VR Game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City. 

Turtle power leveled up at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City — World Premiere Gameplay panel. On Friday, Oct. 10, gamers and TMNT fans alike gathered in Room 408 to witness ninja-packed action for the upcoming title. 

Sharing the latest news about the game were creative director Ace St. Germain and story consultant Tom Waltz. Moderated by Jim Squires, this panel was the place to be to see some totally tubular gameplay. As the screens showed gameplay footage, Germain shared his excitement about creating the game. 

“There’s something so wonderful about embodying your favorite heroes in virtual reality. Jumping into a game with your friends, looking across at each other and seeing the turtles, is a really cool opportunity. Paramount was super cool about letting us run with our vision, especially since it isn’t the most kid-friendly version of the turtles,” Germain says.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City is the first-ever TMNT first-person action-adventure VR game. With a city on the brink after Shredder’s demise, the Foot Clan’s grip tightens on the streets you once called home. Players must reclaim what’s theirs by playing as Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. 

This video game features new storylines for our favorite lean green ninja team. As a consultant, Waltz was able to “dive in to make sure the voices sound correct.” Fans can expect great humor in this game, as Waltz was able to “read a lot of the story as a fan” and wished he had written some of the jokes. 

The first surprise fans got to see was the character designs. Germain stressed the importance of emphasizing each character’s personality and how he wanted each turtle “to have different athletic bodies and designs.” Along with character art, the panelists also spoke about the amazing voice casts.

“So we’ve got a pretty notable voice cast, and they’ve all got pretty serious credentials. We’ve got Yuri Lowenthal from Insomniac’s Spider-Man game, and Roger Craig Smith from Assassin’s Creed II,” explains Germain.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City has an all-star voice cast, with every name having a history with the turtles. The voice cast features Dominic Catrambone (Leonardo), Roger Craig Smith (Raphael), Dale Inghram (Donatello), and Yuri Lowenthal (Michelangelo). The game also includes talent from Paul Nakauchi (Splinter), Melanie Minchino (April O’ Neil), Matt Yang King (Shredder), and more.

Unlike many TMNT titles, this video game lets you play the game your way. Germain emphasizes how players will become the turtles by choosing the moves they want to perform during the game. 

“Whether you like blocking or facing foes head-on, we want to get that confidence out of you. We’re not trying to control you. We want to give you the tools so you can play the way you want to win. You’ll be making decisions and playing as your version of the turtles,” says Germain. 

Each turtle’s fighting style truly shines in the gameplay. Germain shared how fans can perform various moves, including stuns, parries, sneak attacks, and special actions. Players will master each turtle’s signature weapons, show off their parkour skills in urban landscapes, and confront fan-favorite villains. 

In this VR game, each character will have unique fighting abilities along with different strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Raphael will have more armor pieces while Donatello has advanced tech gear. Fans can also expect gear upgrades and weapon progressions. 

“We wanted to focus more on gear progression because this is virtual reality. As you get better at the game, we want to give you more toys to play with,” says Germain.

When not completing the main missions, players can hang out with friends in the iconic TMNT sewer. In solo and co-op mode, fans can enter the hangout space to select their character and interact with friends.

This game is developed by Cortopia Studios and published by Beyond Frames Entertainment. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City will launch on Meta Quest and Stream in 2026. For more updates, and to add the game to your wishlist, visit linktr.ee/TMNTEC.