Dog The Bounty Hunter Is Getting His Own Series Of Video Games, For Some Reason

What was on your gaming related bingo card for 2022? Hoping to see something of Metroid Prime 4? Dare to dream about a trailer for The Elder Scrolls VI? I’d be willing to bet that nowhere on that list of expectations, hopes or dreams is a video game series starring Dog the Bounty Hunter, but that's exactly what we're getting. What a time to be alive.

Duane “Dog” Chapman revealed in a press release on 11 January that he’s signed a new deal which will see him lending his identity and likeness for the purpose of making games. That’s games as in, plural, by the way. This isn’t set up to be just a single, bizarre, one-off gaming debut - the statement specifies this is for “multiple video games”.

Chapman's most recent TV venture was in Dog's Most Wanted, which aired in 2019 - check out the trailer below.

This deal is with Virtual Interactive Technologies Corp., which if you’d not heard of before now, you’re not alone. Regardless, in the press release, they’ve laid out their plans, which are to "develop and market a line of video games in cooperation with the production entity and will use Mr. Chapman’s name, image, and likeness in connection with the advertisement, promotion, and sale of the video games”. Huh. 

"After years of sharing my life on television, I'm thrilled to bring my many stories and experiences to the video gaming environment. I'm delighted to be working with Virtual Interactive Technologies and their experienced team," said Chapman. 

“Collaborating with Dog and his team to help create unique experiences for our customers is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Jason Garber, CEO of Virtual Interactive Technologies. “Dog’s successful career in reality TV and his widely recognised persona will provide us with exceptional content to build a number of exciting and engaging games.”

Now, there’s a lot to unpack here, and all of it is frankly baffling. Just for starters, the Dog the Bounty Hunter show stopped airing in 2012, and we’ve not really seen a whole lot of Chapman since, so it’s a pretty weird time to pick up on him given that his peak popularity has definitely passed. So, it remains to be seen just how successful these “exciting” games will be, but I’ll admit, they’ve piqued my interest. Let’s watch this space. 

Topics: TV And Film