Zombicide to release an adaptation of Snyder-directed zombie heist film Army of the Dead
Bet with your life.
Gather the crew for the biggest and most dangerous jobs of their lives in Army of the Dead: A Zombicide Game, which adapts the recently released undead heist film into a zombie-filled board game.
Publisher CMON announced on May 21st that it would be handling the official board game adaptation of director Zack Snyder’s latest film, Army of the Dead. It was released on Netflix that same day, and CMON said the streaming platform would be collaborating on the project.
The press release did not mention the status of longtime Zombicide designer Guillotine Games, though their label does appear on teaser images. Dicebreaker has reached out to CMON for clarification on this.
Army of the Dead - the film - posits a world six years into a zombie outbreak where the undead scourge has been largely contained and quarantined. One of these no-go zones is the former city of Las Vegas, and a crew of mercenaries decide to brave the horde trapped within in order to clean out a casino vault supposedly chock full of riches.
The movie board game adaptation allows players to fill the greedy, gun-toting shoes of the film’s cast. Each boasts unique skill derived from their on-screen counterparts that will aid the group in manoeuvring the fallen Las Vegas in relative safety. Army of the Dead: A Zombicide Game prioritises collaborative effort, and players will need to strategise and work together if everyone is to make it out alive to get paid.
Traveling the board will take the team through different scenarios based on locations and scenes from the film but will also include “off-screen” section designed specifically for the tabletop adaptation and meant to flesh out the experience. CMON is confident the official adaptation will include something all players can enjoy.
“The standalone game will be perfect jumping on point for people new to Zombicide, and present an exciting take on the system for gamers familiar with the game,” it said.
The first Zombicide released in 2012, establishing both its co-op board game rules and the theme of relentless zombie hordes forcing a motley crew of survivors to band together for survival via mayhem and carnage. Always greater in number than intellect, the zombies are controlled by a deck of cards and clear cut rules - they are a force of nature that players must always carefully consider when acting on their turn.
Scenarios provide objectives the players must fulfill before the horde overwhelms them, and killing one zombie often leads two or more to take their place - time is not on the players’ side. Since release, Zombicide has released several reskins to fit specific genres, from the wild west Undead or Alive to the medieval trudge of Black Plague. The series is currently slated to receive a book series due for Halloween 2021.
Publisher CMON has handled the Zombicide series since its creation but is also known for producing both critter-based board games Root (named one of our best board games of 2021) and Everdell, along with the historical worker placement title Paladins of the West Kingdom. Eric Lang’s unofficial ‘Mythic Trilogy’ of games - Blood Rage, Rising Sun and Ankh: Gods of Egypt - also falls under their care.
Army of the Dead: A Zombicide Game does not yet have a release date, and other gameplay details are forthcoming. Dicebreaker will report more as that information becomes available.