How Paramount Games Studio Plans to Balance ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ ‘Star Trek’ and More Top IP With New Original Ideas for Video Games

June 11, 2026 - 03:53

Paramount Games Studio is walking a tightrope between beloved franchises and original creations. The studio, which holds the keys to major properties like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek, and SpongeBob SquarePants, is now laying out its strategy for the next few years. The goal is not to simply churn out licensed titles but to treat each IP with care while also building new worlds from scratch.

According to studio leadership, the approach involves listening closely to fans of each franchise. For Star Trek, that means respecting the tone of exploration and diplomacy. For the Turtles, it means capturing the fast-paced, pizza-fueled action that fans expect. The studio believes that a game based on a known brand must first feel authentic to that brand before it can succeed as a game.

At the same time, Paramount is investing in original intellectual property. The reasoning is simple: relying only on existing IP can lead to creative stagnation. New ideas allow developers to take risks and experiment with mechanics that might not fit a licensed universe. The studio sees this as a way to attract players who might not care about a specific movie or cartoon.

Balancing these two tracks is not easy. Licensed games often come with strict guidelines from the parent company, while original games require more marketing muscle to build awareness. Paramount Games Studio plans to manage this by keeping teams focused and not overextending. They want each project, whether it is based on a 40-year-old cartoon or a brand new concept, to feel like a complete, polished experience.

The industry has seen many studios fail by leaning too hard on nostalgia or by ignoring it entirely. Paramount is trying to find a middle ground where both the old and the new can thrive. For now, the plan is to release a steady stream of titles that respect the past while pushing toward the future.