Carmen Sandiego Is Returning To Video Games

Carmen Sandiego was kind of a multimedia phenomenon in the 90s — it started with the computer games, sure, but there were books, comics and especially TV shows. A Fox Kids cartoon and a PBS game show both aired at the same time, and both are beloved by folks of that era. In 2019 Carmen returned to television, but not quite as anyone knew her. The Netflix series had the two kids from “Where On Earth,” but the main character, for the first time, was Carmen herself.

This couldn’t happen in previous incarnations because Carmen was the villain you were meant to stop. The goal was to use extensive knowledge of geography and world history (or the included pocket encyclopedia if you didn’t know anything) to track Carmen’s henchmen down and eventually Carmen herself, before she got away with stealing the Eiffel Tower or three noses from Mount Rushmore or something else you’d think had no practical value. (Don’t forget to get a warrant first!)

Now, for the first time since the buyout / bankruptcy of Broderbund, Carmen Sandiego is returning to the medium she was introduced in. Be prepared though — this is the Netflix Carmen and the game itself will be radically different from a 90s school computer lab game. In the 21st century Carmen is still a thief, but she’s a GOOD thief, working with ACME to steal back the valuable items swiped by VILE.

“It features all of the investigative fun of the original core game loop (collecting clues & tracking VILE operatives around the world) combined with brand new on the ground immersive exploration of cities,” says publisher GameLoft. “We have also included a classic mode called ‘The Acme Files,’ which is a heartfelt tribute to the Carmen Sandiego games of the ’80s. Nostalgic players as well as fans of the Netflix series will also find hidden Easter eggs throughout the game’s locations, little surprises we are excited for the community to discover!”

The Carmen Sandiego game will be available in early 2025, first on Netflix through their Netflix Games app, and then on Playstation, Switch, XBox and PC a few weeks later.