Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a cross-platform fighting game that will be available as a digital download for on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in April 2019, and then as a PC release later in the year.
Players will be able to fight each other as Power Rangers characters, even if their friends are on different platforms (with the exception of PlayStation 4, where cross-play is still in its beta program and not available for all games). As such, it’s part of a growing wave of games that are going cross-platform to meet the demands of users who want to play with their friends any time, regardless of platform. The developer is nWay, the studio and publisher that created Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, which debuted on iOS and Android in March 2017.
CEO Taehoon Kim said in an interview with GamesBeat that the multiplayer mobile title had more than 45 million downloads. He said that because the mobile game came out on both iOS and Android as a cross-platform title, it was easier to create the cross-platform PC and console edition.
“It did well because there was huge pent-up demand,” Kim said. “Power Ranges has been out for more than 25 years, and in all of that time the fans have not been served well by games.”
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Battle for the Grid will bring in Power Rangers characters from across the series’ movies, TV shows, and comics. nWay is partnering with Hasbro and Lionsgate on the game.
“Since the acquisition of the Power Rangers IP, we’ve been looking forward to bringing Power Rangers fans memorable experiences. With Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, we’re expanding the portfolio of great Power Rangers games to more platforms,” said Mark Blecher, senior vice president of corporate strategy and business affairs at Hasbro, in a statement.
Power Ranger: Battle for the Grid aims to be an “easy to learn but hard to master” fighting game that delivers a modern take on the Power Rangers franchise. The game features graphics with vivid details and pits new and classic Rangers and villains against each other in team battles.
“The Power Rangers have proven to be an enduring global phenomenon among audiences of all ages,” said Daniel Engelhardt, senior vice president of Interactive Ventures & Games at Lionsgate. “We are excited to build upon our successful mobile game, Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, to offer a unique opportunity for fans to enjoy a new cross-platform fighting game experience on console and PC.”
[Updated 8:14 p.m. 1/18/19 — Changed to reflect that Sony has not approved Power Rangers for cross-play, as its cross-play program is still in beta and so far only Rocket League and Fortnite are approved].
