‘Terminator Genisys Future War’ Story Sequel On Android/iPhone: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 Series Is Back

Terminator Genisys: Future War is a new video game announced by Plarium that was released today in 2017 for both Android and iPhone app platforms. Players will be able to muster an army of T-800 model Terminators, the character made famous in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. What’s more, the Terminator game promises to provide a Terminator Genisys sequel of sorts since the mobile game continues the story narrative of the Paramount and Skydance movies that was first planned for Terminator 6.

For those who do not remember the ending of the Terminator Genisys movie, the planned trilogy had spawned a new timeline in which Sarah Connor and an aged T-800 named Pops stopped both the original 1984 T-800 and a rampaging T-1000. Skynet was posing as a new cloud software platform called Genisys, which was slated to launch in modern times. In this new Terminator story, Skynet was created by John Connor, who had been captured by the future Skynet, turned into a cyborg, and sent back in time to ensure nuclear war happens again in this new timeline.

The Terminator Genisys ending had Pops destroying John in a huge explosion but Arnold’s character manages to come back by fusing his CPU with the liquid metal used by the T-1000 Terminator series. In the end, Sarah, Pops, and Kyle Reese escape with Skynet destroyed and the future of humanity is saved from Judgement Day. Or so you’d think….

The Canceled Terminator 6 Plot Explained

The one glaring unanswered question by a happy ending is “who created and sent the T-800 guardian named Pops?” You can try and assume this version of Arnie must have come from the original future so that leaves out John Connor and Detective O’Brien (who only became important in the new timeline). Thus, the only logical conclusion is that an unknown member of the future human Resistance reprogrammed that T-800 and sent it back to 1973 to save Sarah Connor. But that means Judgement Day must come or the time loop is broken, causing a time travel paradox.

Confused yet? The new movie added even more ambiguous time travel mechanics on top of the Terminator 2 storyline by including the hypothetical concept of the multiverse. Time travelers are no longer erasing the original future. Instead, they are creating a new, different dimension in which alternative futures exist independently of the others. This means that a future Skynet artificial intelligence based upon an alternative dimension can send people and Terminators back into the malleable past without need of a self-consistent time loop. This explanation tells us why Kyle was able to have visions from the multiple versions of himself. This multiverse of alternative futures also would solve the time travel paradox created by the fact that the time loop is broken since John now can’t send Kyle back in order to ensure that he’s born.

The screenplay writers probably intended to answer the question of Pops’ existence with a Terminator Genisys sequel. Unfortunately, Terminator Genisys 2, or Terminator 6, was canceled in March of 2017, leaving fans in the lurch, but the mid-credits end scene in Genisys did give a hint. The camera revealed that both Genisys’ core and Matt Smith’s villain had survived the explosion in the Cyberdyne building.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESR2XQP6zWY

This end credits scene would suggest the rise of the machines was inevitable. Back in 2015, screen writers Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier both were interviewed about the Terminator Genisys plot by Crave Online and this is how they explained the Terminators from the alternate dimension.

“Our idea was, simply put, that there are multiple timelines. It’s a multiverse model. So there are individual, multiple universes, and within those universes there is – as John says – a momentum to time, and the amount of energy and sacrifice that has to occur in order to alter a timeline so far that Judgment Day doesn’t occur is huge.”

This meant the original plan for the Terminator Genisys sequel was to have an alternate dimension Skynet who was hopping across the multiverse in both time and reality. Based upon a comment from Kalogridis, Terminator 6‘s story probably would have explained the motivations of this version of Skynet.

“You see in the beginning. He grabs John. He’s not from this timeline. He’s from an alternate universe, in the multiverse, another of the many universes that exist. That Skynet is not from that timeline. … This Skynet has been to this universe, and this universe, and this universe. That’s why he says, ‘I came a very long way to stop you.’ He’s not from here. So he’s watched it. He’s watched it happen a bunch of different times, and each time he’s seen it there is a different result but the same result.”

Terminator Genisys: Future War Is A Direct Sequel

When Plarium announced Terminator Genisys: Future War they declared that the story expands “the Terminator Genisys plot narrative that follows the conclusion of the Skydance film”. Players are dropped right into the middle of the war and you’re given the option of becoming either a Resistance or Skynet Commander. The story is not just humans versus machines, either, since “the remnants of the Resistance are locked in a civil war over the few resources and weapons remaining.”

It’s never been stated that a human civil war was planned for the Terminator 6 story but that particular plot point was probably created specifically for the mobile game since it focuses on both Player Versus Player (PvP) and Player Versus Environment (PvE) gameplay.

Based upon the trailer, Terminator Genisys: Future War hopes to take on major competitors like Clash of Clans and Mobile Strike, an Android/iPhone game that is advertised by Terminator’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. Future War originally started life as a MMORPG but now it’s a free-to-play, clan-based mobile strategy game.

“Pairing the Terminator Genisys universe with Plarium’s advanced strategy gameplay was one of the most natural creative decisions we’ve made because the franchise aligns so well with our core game mechanics,” said Gabi Shalel, CMO of Plarium. “From the epic scale of the game to the diverse weaponry, futuristic technology and ability to play as ‘good’ or ‘evil’, this is the experience Terminator fans have always wanted.”

Will Arnold Schwarzenegger And Emilia Clarke Be Back For This Game?

The all important question is whether Arnie himself will make a showing. Unfortunately, Arnold’s likeness is used in the game for the T-800 character but the actor himself is not affiliated with the game, nor did he provide any special voice work. In addition, marketing materials makes certain to feature Arnold’s face.

The character with his likeness is the tutorial character for both the “Skynet” and “Resistance” player campaigns, and the T-800 avatar can be used by players. Arnold’s absence is not too surprising since Schwarzenegger made it fairly clear near the beginning of 2017 that he was not interested in reprising his titular role.

Similarly, Emilia Clarke played as Sarah Connor but Clarke is not featured in this game at all. Just like Ah-nuld, when the Game Of Thrones actress was asked by reporters if she’d still be interested in playing the role of the Terminator heroine her response was a terse “no”.

Terminator Genisys: Future War Gameplay

Each faction offers 24 units (48 in total) divided into six classes: Infantry, Assault, Cavalry, Aviation, Siege units and Spy Drones. The Resistance faction uses reclaimed Terminator tech to develop human-machine hybrids to fight back against Skynet forces. Playing for Skynet, gamers will have access to multiple T-series, including Arnold’s venerable T-800 and other weapons like Hunter-Killers and a “siege platform” that’s exclusive to this mobile game.

The Terminator gameplay includes the following features:

• Develop, upgrade, and unleash over 48 unique Skynet and Resistance units in six strategic classes as you battle for new recruits, weapons, and advanced technology.
• Join an alliance or create your own, cooperating with players from around the world to compete online in real-time massive multiplayer clan warfare.

• Take part in tournaments that pit alliances against each other to compete for massive rewards and control of territory
• Go head-to-head with players worldwide in PvP and Clan PvP gameplay.
• Battle PvE opponents for powerful bonuses, rare components, and technology — then customize them with a robust crafting system.
• Choose your favorite Skynet and Resistance characters to lead your forces and unlock special abilities.
• Reset the Future: Take control of Time Machines to get more territory and power-ups.

The Terminator Genisys: Future War release date is now and it’s available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It can be accessed on the App Store and on Google Play.

[Featured Image by Plarium]