The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise is returning to video games in a major way. During Summer Game Fest, Paramount Games Studio officially unveiled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, a new AAA action-adventure title developed by PlatinumGames that adapts one of the most successful and acclaimed TMNT stories of the modern era. The project is also notable for being the first game announced by the newly formed Paramount Games Studio following the merger of Paramount and Skydance’s in-house gaming operations.
According to Variety, unlike the franchise’s classic arcade-style adventures, The Last Ronin takes players into a bleak future version of New York City. Based on the bestselling IDW Publishing comic series, the story centers on Michelangelo, the last surviving member of the Turtle family, as he seeks vengeance against the forces responsible for his brothers' deaths. The game's reveal trailer offered only a brief glimpse of the world, but it emphasized the darker tone that helped turn the comic into a breakout success.
That darker approach represents a dramatic evolution for a franchise that began in 1984 when creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird introduced Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Over the decades, the heroes in a half shell became global pop culture icons through animated series, blockbuster films, comic books, toys, and beloved games such as Turtles in Time.
More recently, the franchise reached a new generation through the hit animated film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Part of what makes The Last Ronin stand out is its focus on Michelangelo. In the original comic, the normally carefree and optimistic turtle is forced into the role of a lone warrior after losing his family.
Writer Tom Waltz previously explained that Michelangelo was chosen because he was the character readers would least expect to become the story’s hardened survivor, transforming the franchise’s comic relief into its most tragic hero.
The source material proved to be a massive hit. First published between 2020 and 2022, The Last Ronin became both a commercial and critical success, earning praise for its mature storytelling and dystopian take on the TMNT universe.
The series spawned additional stories, including The Lost Years and The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution, creating an expanded continuity fans now refer to as the "Roninverse."
Paramount is also keeping that universe active ahead of the game’s release. A new one-shot comic, The Last Ronin: Training Day, arrives July 9 and explores a pivotal period in Michelangelo’s journey as he trains Casey Marie Jones, the daughter of April O’Neil and Casey Jones. The company also announced a limited-edition BossLogic merchandise collection tied to the game.
