A quick post relating to what seems to be a rather different (and missing) section from Epyx’s G.I. Joe licensed game from 1985. Thanks to Karl “Trantornator” Kuras for the heads up! Click onto the image in the gallery for the full version.
Looking at the 1984 Epyx brochure, it seems that originally the game was due to have a equipment/dressing up scene which seems to have been crucial to kitting out your guy for doing battle. Pretty much looking like the same system that was used in Barbie (also on the same page).
For whatever reason, the idea it seems was dropped and never quite made it. Was this merely a scene that was dropped from the game, or does it suggest that a rather different game was in production?
Considering the game was produced by the same team as Barbie anyway, we doubt there was a different coding team… suggesting the final game was just tweaked. Maybe the game had the feature dropped to meet a Christmas deadline for big sales?
Thanks to Karl, we learn a little more in 2025:
“I interviewed Jeff Johannigman, one of the two developers of GI Joe from Epyx and he confirmed that the early catalogue image was put together before the game was developed and probably without any understanding of the GI Joe 80s reboot (where it went from 6″ action figures with removable clothes and gear to 3.75″ figures with molded on gear).
So, that image was just a mockup by someone who had nothing to do with the actual game design. Michael Katz, then head of the company, kept coming by asking which of the characters in the game was GI Joe.”
Karl also found a magazine segment which gives a brief description of what the gameplay was supposed to be before they actually started development. This comes from Summer CES in 1984.
It is hoped that maybe we can get to see this unused feature in proper form.
With thanks to Karl Kuras for the suggestion of covering and information, plus archive.org for scans.
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