Samurai Jack writers talk video game adventure at Adult Swim Con

The story of Samurai Jack may be over, but that won't stop him from returning for one last adventure, thanks to the upcoming video game Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time.

Creator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls) and head writer of the show Darrick Bachman (Star Wars: Clone Wars) came together to discuss the soon-to-be-released game during a panel held during Adult Swim Con. 

Initially, Tartakovsky was a bit hesitant about doing a game based on the show, seeing as there had been a few Samurai Jack games released during the show's original run that never quite captured the feel of the series. However, seeing the work done by the game's production studio changed his mind, as he saw that they really loved and understood the series that it's based on.  

"It felt very sincere and honest," he says. "[And] it really delivers the scope of the show."

Bachman, who penned the script for the game, agrees, especially since he approached writing the game as if he were writing for the show itself.

"This is like a real episode of the series," Bachman explains. "Jack has an adventure and it picks up in a pocket of time in the series finale."

That pocket of time is set during the Season 5 finale's final confrontation between Jack and Aku, with the villain trapping the time-traveling samurai in an alternate timeline that then requires him to team up with his closest allies, such as The Scotsman, Scaramouche, and Sir Rothchild, so he can face off against some old enemies and return home. The game — which also translates the show's iconic 2D style into a more 3D one — will also see him travel to various places and times from the series as part of this journey back.

Phil LaMarr will also return as the voice of Jack, along with Greg Baldwin, who will once again be voicing Aku. (Baldwin stepped into the role following the passing of Mako, the voice actor who'd originated the role as well as Uncle Iroh in Avatar the Last Airbender.)

But could the success of Battle Through Time lead to another Samurai Jack revival, similar to the one that brought back the beloved character for the fifth season in 2017?

Though he's currently working on his latest Adult Swim animated series, Primal, Tartakovsky doesn't want to rule out the possibility of Jack's return as he considers the character his "second baby" after Dexter.

"Never say never," says Tartakovsky, citing one of his own big influences, Hiyao Miyazaki, himself. "But I don't think so." 

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time will be released on Aug. 21 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One.