E3 2019: Commander Keen is Back, Baby!

Bethesda's E3 announcements came with a few surprises, but none more surprising than the reveal that their old mascot was coming out of his 18-year retirement to star in a brand-new mobile game: simply titled Commander Keen.
 
It looks... different.
 

 

Dadmiral Keen has been kidnapped, and only twin geniuses Billie and Billy can save him! Commander Keen returns in an all-new mobile adventure from ZeniMax Online Studios. Utilize a zany collection of gadgets that blast, bounce, and baffle your enemies in the solo Story Mode, or go helmet-to-helmet against your fellow commanders in Battle Mode. It’s time to kick some asteroid! Commander Keen is coming soon, but you can sign up for updates and receive an exclusive in-game costume by visiting GoKeen.com. Check out our official Commander Keen Twitter @PlayKeen, Instagram, and Facebook for all the latest news and information.

 
A mobile release for the game makes enough sense, as a full release in this day of age might be a bit much -- Commander Keen is no Bubsy, after all -- but fans are clearly not liking the new direction for the still somewhat beloved character. As of right now, the video has only 167 up-votes to 2.4k down-votes on youtube, with most people complaining about how 'disrespectful' the game is to the Commander Keen legacy. If I were to give my two cents, though: the IP was always designed for kids, kids mostly play on their phones these days, and there aren't enough current fans to make the idea of a full, proper game profitable. But they still probably could have announced it sometime other than E3. That's some Diablo: Immortal level of bad foresight.
 
Maybe as we learn more and we get closer to the release date, people might warm up to it more. But in the meantime, it looks to be one of E3's many dud announcements.