Indiana Jones Game Nearly Had a GTA-Style Wanted System

MachineGames considered a Grand Theft Auto-style wanted system for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Under the proposed design, shooting an enemy would have triggered the arrival of additional enemy squads. The studio removed the system before the game’s release.

Design director Jens Andersson said the team was concerned that easy access to firearms would encourage players to rely on constant shooting. Players could take weapons from defeated enemies and use them to clear areas, which conflicted with the game’s focus on Indiana Jones’ whip and hand-to-hand combat.

“We tried many solutions to get around this problem,” Andersson said. “For example, a GTA-style wanted-level system with stars, where reinforcements would start arriving after you shot someone.”

Before release, MachineGames made weapon reloads slower, but the change did not reduce gun use enough. Late in development, the studio added more objects for improvised melee attacks, including frying pans, violins and a fly swatter.

Players can still use firearms, although the game makes shooting more costly. “We punished shooting very heavily in this game,” Andersson said. He added that some players disliked the approach, while more players approved of it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was released for PC and Xbox Series X|S in December 2024. It arrived on PlayStation 5 in spring 2025 and on Nintendo Switch 2 on May 12, 2026. MachineGames released The Order of Giants expansion in September 2025.

MachineGames is working on Wolfenstein 3. The studio has not announced another Indiana Jones game.