One of the most critically acclaimed and popular TV shows of the past few decades was Breaking Bad on AMC. Its spin-off, Better Call Saul, has also been hugely popular and successful. Now, ahead of Saulās final episode, the creator behind both shows, Vince Gilligan, has confirmed that there were plans and attempts to make a video game set in the Breaking Bad universe, but it never happened. And he warns those still wanting a game to not hold their breath.
As spotted by ComicBook.com, Gilligan appeared on a recent episode of the Inside The Gilliverse podcast to talk about the final episodes of Better Call Saul, Breaking Badās legacy, and the future of the franchise and its characters. But at one point in the podcast, Gilligan was asked about the lack of Breaking Bad video games and if they had ever wanted to make a game set in that universe. Surprisingly, Gilligan was very candid, admitting that they had tried to get a game made, but that it just never happened for various reasons.
āIām not much of a video game player, but how can you not know Grand Theft Auto?ā said Gilligan on the podcast. āI remember saying to the guysā[who are] off running Apple nowā¦who said yes originally to Breaking Badā āWho owns Grand Theft Auto? Canāt you have a module, canāt there be a Breaking Bad [add-on]?ā Still makes sense to me!ā
It appears Gilligan is suggesting that at one point he or his people contacted Rockstar Games about making something based on Breaking Bad, though by his own admittance, heās not a big gamer, so itās unclear. Regardless of who he talked to about making a GTA-like Breaking Bad game, it never happened. And this isnāt the only time that a Breaking Bad game was discussed, planned, and then eventually shelved.
āThere have been quite a few attempts at video games,ā said Gilligan. āAnd some of them kind of sort of made it to market. We tried to do a VR experience with the Sony PlayStation VR headset. We did a mobile game that lasted for a little whileā¦ā
According to Gilligan, a lot of āenergy and effort and talentā went into writing new storylines for different games that never happened. And while a mobile game was released, it barely lasted a year before shutting down in 2020 with little fanfare. As for why none of these projects and planned games ever happened, it seems to just come down to a simple fact: Video games are a pain in the ass to make
āMaking a video game is damned hard, from what little I learned through this process,ā admitted Gilligan. āIt literally takes years and years and millions of dollars, especially when you are trying to break new ground with VR and whatnot. Never quite came to fruition. Itās a shame.ā
Another possible roadblock is that Gilligan and his team are very concerned about making sure anything with the Breaking Bad name on it is up to their high-quality standards. During the podcast, he joked about the infamously bad E.T. game for the Atari 2600, joking that they didnāt want a game based on the show that was so bad it ended up buried in a desert. Instead, any game using Breaking Bad characters and set in that world would have to be āgreatā and would have to include all the details.
With all that said and with Better Call Saul wrapping up later this month, plus Gilligan saying he has no plans to revisit the franchise anytime soon, it seems unlikely the world will get the Breaking Bad game it deserves. In fact, Gilligan warned those of you who might be waiting for a GTA-like game starring Walter White that you shouldnāt āhold your breathā on it ever happening at this point.
