I completely believe that the game and Afterlife can completely coexist without any serious world breaking issues. My vote is also a BIG YES.

Dan Aykroyd once said the game was meant to serve as being Ghostbusters 3. Which actually means Afterlife is Ghostbusters 4. And the upcoming sequel to Afterlife is Ghostbusters 5.

Dan says it's canon, so it's canon. Also, why would anyone want the game to not be canon, it was fantastic! The replay factor is so good and hearing the guys together for the last time is amazing

It would be a shame if it were no longer canon, as it was Harold Ramis's final performance in the franchise. Having said that, I think it's likely the filmmakers may not confirm the game's place in canon during future films simply because not all members of the cinematic audience may be familiar with it. It would be nice to have some subtle allusions or references if relevant to the story. Great video as usual with well made points, many of which I hadn't considered. I especially liked the symmetry of crossing the streams your observations imply. The third time was not the charm for that tactic.

Without a shadow of a doubt...the video game is "unofficially" the third movie we fans deserve and had been waiting for. Afterlife...is the 4th installment that not only makes us original fans smile. But it also brings and opens the franchise up for a whole new generation to fall in love with this franchise.

This is why I think TVG could still be canon: *•At the end of TVG, the Containment Unit is destroyed, which would explain why in Afterlife it's back to it's original build.* *•The event of hauntings becoming thin is mentioned in the end credits, which is why they set Rookie up with a job in Chicago. However, it would seem that this didn't change the fact that nobody was calling the GBs.* *•As I just said, they set Rookie up with a job in Chigaco. In Afterlife, it's revealed Egon has been spying on Callie, Trev and Phoebe. Maybe moving the Rookie to Chicago was part of his plan to keep an eye on them. Even though Venkman claims that he would decide if they go to Chicago, Los Angeles or some other city (what was it called)?* *•Gozer is, for some reason, extremely angry at Shandor and destroyed him. The reason for this could be because he banished her from the world as revealed in the GBs battle with him in TVG.* *•The Ecto-1 is back to it's original form, which is weird because it never got reverted back in the films, but in the game, it's gets destroyed, and they could have just removed the Super Slammer and instead of calling it Ecto-1c or Ecto-2, they used the old Ecto-1 plate.* *•In the battle with Gozer in Afterlife, the Busters try crossing the streams to blow Gozer up. They would never do this with kids and civilians around, as it would kill them. It would be likely that the Proton Packs they're using are the 1991 versions, as the effect of crossing the streams on these versions are seen to be no longer fatal, but still slightly dangerous.* *•The body in the tomb is not a real body; it's Shandor's ghost taking the form of his own body. How do I know this? Look carefully at the body as it's ripped. There's no blood at all and no bones or organs are visible. This means that the skull could indeed still be canon. This sounds far-fetched, but it is worth noting.* *•Ray mentions that those mini Stay-Pufts are a collective manifestation of Gozer. The fact that Stay Puft went from being very strong in '84, slightly weaker in '91, and then extremely weak and ineffective in 2021, makes perfect sense, as Egon tells the Mayor in TVG that while Stay Puft looked the same, was weaker in his second attack, meaning Stay Puft get increasingly weaker as time goes on, and explains why in 2021, he's very weak and needs several copies of his destructor form in order to be a threat at all.* *•Ray's theory can still be canon to Afterlife. What Ray means when he says Gozer is locked in Stay Puft's appearance is that it's locked in that form when it arrives as the destructor. It can still have the female form if it chooses to, or it can have the Stay Puft form. It's one or the other. Does that make sense?* *•The creator of the video mentions that the Trap Field might have been inspired by the Super Slammer, and while that may be true, it would seem that the Remote-controlled Trap was more inspired by it, and it may have been created so that the Proton Streams didn't need to go near it and damage it like how it did during Stay Puft's second attack.* *•In Egon's basement in Summerville, all of the Ghostbusters' old gear can be seen, even things from before they went into business. However, Slime Blowers are nowhere to be seen. I think this could be because they were implemented into the Proton Packs.*

For me, and I'm sure a lot of fans, this game is special because it was not only the return of the original team, but without knowing it at the time, it would be Harold's final contribution to the series. However, if I may add my own perspective, I'm sure people might get why for some fans, it matters to keep it canon (to some degree). Unlike many Gen Xers and early Millenials who grew up to watch the films and cartoons and buy the toys and play the games during its heyday, I was born in the mid 90s. I was only 2 when XGB came out, and I have no recollection of the series. I came across the VHS of GB1, idk how, but it was in my life, and at age 4-5, this was my movie. It was to me what Star Wars or Jurassic Park meant to others when they first saw it as kids. A year later, I got GB2 as a gift from my grandparents, so for all intents and purposes, the franchise was these two movies. Years later on a random day, my mom comes in with this copy of Gameinformer that she took from our neighbor since he didn't want it anymore and was about to throw it out. She hands it to me, and to my shock, the cover has the logo, announcing Ghostbusters: The Video Game. I dug in, skipping to the article, and my mind was once again, blown. From 2007 to 2009, even though that small period where it was in this odd status of possibly being cancelled, and then picked up again by Atari, I was obsessed with this game. I watched every trailer on UKposts countless times, looked up every interview and behind the scenes video, looked up the shots and concept art from the game in dozens of previews over and over. Sadly, I couldn't relate this to other kids my age because in the 90s and 00s, Ghostbusters just wasn't popular as it is now or back in the 80s, but for me, this game represented a big important part of my childhood being fulfilled. New and multiple scenarios with the guys who were my heroes, and I WAS a Ghostbuster with them. I could only describe my hype as being similar to anyone in 1989 being hyped for Ghostbusters 2. I can only say that I'm glad that Afterlife doesn't go out of its way to make it non canon, and so YES, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is canon to me.

Whole heartedly, yes, the video game is still canon. As you so wonderfully pointed out in this video, elements in Afterlife do support that events of the video game could have happened. Also, since the video game script was written by Dan and Harold and had all of the original cast, I feel the video game represents the final film for the original Ghostbusters. I think Afterlife is the beginning of a new story for a new group of Ghostbusters with the boys in gray passing the baton to the next group.

Dan essentially called it the 3rd part. It's the 3rd part. Simple as that. And I'm glad that most seem to agree.

I've always thought it would be great if an animated feature was made based on the game, since you have the voice tracks, as a bridge between Ghostbusters 2, and "Afterlife".

To me this game is the official sequel to the movies. It's a interesting story, feels faithful to the lore, and overall it's just a good game. I replay it atleast once a year and still enjoy it

My theory is that Ecto-1, Ecto-1A and Ecto-1B are different cars. If you look closely, you can see that Ecto-1 has vents on its hood, but Ecto-1A doesn't. And Ecto-1B's vents aren't clearly shown. But Afterlife's Ecto-1 does have hood vents. Ecto-1A and Ecto-1B were most likely taken by Winston Zeddmore as antiques of his time as a ghostbuster.

I highly believe that the 2009 video game is indeed cannon to the lore of the ghostbusters and this YT vid just proved it. well done team, I'll be happy to have you as researchers at any time.

I'm beyond impressed with how much you dissected the first 2 movies, the game, and 2021 movie. I can't believe I missed the details from the game (but I haven't played the full game since 2010 lol)! As a fellow ghostbuster fan and hardcore geek, great job on this vid! Jason Reitman played close attention with the details from the first two movies and the game. I'm impressed. But, in my opinion, the game is the third installment. Back in 2009, they had no plans to bring back Ghostbusters to the silver screen. When I played the GB game on release day, it felt like I was playing in a movie. The 2021 movie ties in after the first 2 films and the game. I think Jason did a great job tying everything together.

I'm just hoping they bring the rookie back in some shape or form

The Game is definitely still canon - I, personally, like how it ties in 2 with the rest of the story. Afterlife is the fourth entry. So...the bigger question: was Vigo also a Gozer worshipper?

I vote Yes, it is Canon to me. Ivo Shandor roaming the Ghostworld Broken and beaten, returning to its body and welcoming Gozer followed by punishment. And the whole marshmallow man theori: Gozer could have changed into the Destructor Form if desired. (but that failed twice) ;) Love this video!

The game has always been my Ghostbusters 3. That will never change. I do hope someday they can give it a deluxe remaster.

Dan Akroyd said back in 2009-2010 that he considers this game the third movie. But with Ghostbusters Afterlife here now, this game has technically become Ghostbusters 2.5. Plus, Paul Rudd's character, Mr. Groober (Is that how his name is spelled?) said "There hasn't been a ghost sighting in 30 years." The 2009 Ghostbusters game is set in 1991 during and after Thanksgiving, almost two years after Ghostbusters 2 which is set near Christmas Eve of 1989, and Ghostbusters Afterlife is set in 2021. Perfect fit. Then there's Ivo Shandor. The first movie and the 2009 game implied that Shandor died, but they never say how he died, and in the end of the game, and Shandor's destructor form is the final boss of the game. The reason why he wanted to create his own destructor form was because he lost faith in Gozer destroying the world because he got defeated by the Ghostbusters twice (during the first movie and in the beginning of the 2009 game, he reappeared again as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and Ray during the game theorizes the reason why Gozer did not appear in a different form is because he can only appear as one certain form in a dimension he has already visited. For example, if he appeared in one world taking the form of a T-Rex and was defeated, but returned a few years later, he can only appear in his normal form or the form he used, which was the T-Rex, which would explain why in Ghostbusters Afterlife, he appeared to the Ghostbusters in his natural form, because being Stay Puft got him defeated twice!)

Taking the advice of Winston Zeddemore... When somebody asks you if the game is Canon... You say YES! The '09 video game is absolutely Canon. It's the third major installment. Afterlife is Fourth. That's a definite BIG YES from me.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if the actors and movie producers could agree if Ghostbusters: The Video Game is canon or not, I believe that if Ghostbusters is close to the heart for the fans; then yes! I would say that the video game is the third movie that the fans craved. Also, since Dan Ankroyd is the main cast member who has the compassion of believing on making a Ghostbusters 3, and that he’s the heart of the Ghostbusters, than that alone says it right there.

I don’t care what any of the future movie writers and directors say, this game is the third movie. It has fantastic writing and story and it can completely exist with afterlife. This has became my favorite childhood game and it’s sad to see how it’s getting swept under the radar. I really hope it gets referenced in a future ghostbusters movie.

Sounds to me like they purposefully made Afterlife in such a way that it doesn't contradict The Game in any major way thus allowing it to be canon if we want. This feels correct, especially hearing that the design for Ivo Shandor just happened to more or less match his design from The Game and was immediately approved.

The game is only Harold Ramis' final performance as Egon, I don't recall any contradiction in Afterlife

yeah dan aykroyd even said so himself that this game is canon and the fact mntions of what happened in the first movie confrims it the only thing thats not canon is Ghostbusters 2016

The only Ghostbuster I'm still missing is Louis Tully

I always tought it is still canon. And always liked the idea of Gozer bypassing the StayPuff form by creating the mini Puffs, that way the choosen form is manifested, but on its own and leaving Gozer a better "form" with his prechosen one. The skull of shandor fake, also remember you can find a GB DVD as item in the game... I think all ties nicely and explains why Gozer Rips in 2 Shandor.

I really think the game should be cannon, like even Danny himself said it was like a third instalment! Like the small little details are well good enough ig but I'd absolutely love it if there were more Easter eggs or a return for some of this stuff from the game itself in the new upcoming installment 🤷

I was really obsessed with anything related to Ghostbusters as a kid: the movies, toys both versions of the cartoon ("The Real Ghostbusters" and "Filmation's Ghostbusters"), the music, etc. I even asked my parents to take me to the cinema to watch Ghostbusters 2, as my only birthday gift in advance. I was 6. In 2009, I was working as a video game tester and guess what? Yup, I'worked on Ghostbusters: The Video Game on PSP, PS2 and PS3. I did countless 100% playthrough to test the Trophies, on every difficulty, in every supported language. But there's one thing I never managed to figure out: the story. - Who is Zuul? Is it the name of the dog in the fridge? If so, what is the name of the other dog? Zaal? Or they're both named Zuul? And why is he just chilling in there (I know I know), waiting for someone to open the door and say his name? If it's not his name, why would you sand there just to say someone else's name? And why would someone sent their dog to sit in a fridge portal and say that person's name with no context? And why would someone ask anything to a dog in the first place? "Zuuuuuul...". Yeah ok, Zuul, but... okay, I'm listening!... So? Zuul-what, what do you want?! - Why do the dogs bite/tickle/possess Weaver and Moranis? Why them? - They are Called Gatekeepers and Key Master, but you never see any gate anywhere? What whas that about? - Who is the she-male? Is it Zuul? Is it Gozer? Or The Destructor? And Stay Puft? Again, Zuul? Gozer? The Destructor? - Why do Weaver and Moranis still have their human forms while being Zullified but turn into dogs when they reach the she-male? - If they knew they were dealing with Sumerian entities, why didn't ask the Vatican for help? The demon from The Exorcist, Pazuzu, was also Sumerian and it kinds worked out in the end. - And what about Vigo in all this?! So yeah, I guess Gods and shit is not my forte after all, but...

I thought the idea of Ivo Shandor usurping Gozer's Power to become a god himself was a better story than bringing Gozer back.

Depending on how Ghostbusters 4 goes, I feel that that movie can tie back in more with what happened after GB2 to the extend that it can fully cover (if not modify a little) of the Game to full fit in canon.

It makes sense if the director is consulting Dan Aykroyd, and him and Ramis signed off on Ivor in the game, that he would instantly use a design for Shandor that was close to the game design.

I've always thought of it as Canon. Though I would like the next film to solidify it more by either adding more direct references or even bringing in The Rookie.

I will say the video game is canon, it adds to the story and with what you described it fits nicely and since Dan says he considers it the third movie I will take his word since he was one of the minds behind the franchise

You make a good case for it's place in canon. Thanks for doing this.

I've always seen the game as the 3rd story then afterlife is the 4th. For the proton packs "didn't work out", or "drains the fuel cells to an unacceptable rate with 4 modes in one pack so they are separate packs" then never thought about the timeline as the game was the 90s

I hope it remains canon because it's so well-written and designed. It would take a little work due to some things presented in the new movie, but with good writers it would be possible.

I will always choose to believe that It is canon. Not matter what

FIRST TIME WATCHER HERE - your videos are amazing, so in depth and well produced - thank you for this! As a OG GB Head from 1989 - I'm in love with this channel.

The game is the third and final entry in the original trilogy. Afterlife is a soft reboot and the start of a new universe. It was done with great love and respect, was fun in its own right even if it's not exactly what I wanted it to be -- much like Ghostbusters II -- and so as of where things stand now, I'm happy to support the Afterlife-verse it and game to see where it goes next. The Real Ghostbusters is my favorite timeline and the one I most want to see a continuation of.

Jason and Dan said it's in an A and B timeline which basically means that there are two different timelines the video game timeline and the afterlife timeline

The thing about Afterlife I'm still disappointed about is that we only see Ecto-1, I'd have loved it if the boys arrived in Ecto-1A and we got a scene of both ectomobiles riding towards the climax together.

The skull found in the game, I believe it's just a souvenir, since in the same game we can find a Ghostbusters Dvd But yes, I believe that the game is canon, maybe there's a mismatch here or there, but any franchise has that

You guys missed something, when Ivo was ripped apart, his reanimated body was full of Slime. Perhaps the reanimation of his dead body was an off shot of his slime experiments.

Then what happened with Dana's relationship with Peter between the game and Afterlife?

Shadors first line in Afterlife to Gozer should have been "I am so sorry". Before she rips him in half for what he did in GBTVG For me they are both canon. Heck Aykroyd says GBTVG is canon and I take his word over some Sony exec any day

Also regarding franchises... being sent to run a franchise is the entire plot of the tabletop RPG "Ghostbusters International", released in 1989. But I guess you could say GBI starts taking place in 1991.

Dan Aykroyd always did say in interviews that the game was "The THIRD Movie" for him, So I choose to believe this to be fact, and overlook that it is a Videogame. (and, besides that. a Ghostbusters Multiverse was already established in the IDW Comic Book Series. which the OG Ghostbusters teaming up with their animated counterparts, and...Yes, even the 2016 ones. So, I doubt it matters that much anymore.)

Wow, was surprised to see this on my UKposts picks. When we made the game, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were the driving forces behind the story as well as getting Bill Murray to come do some audio (I think he did his lines in a single session and he tweaked his dialog to be more Venkmen like). In the production meetings, this game was presented as the third movie told using the video game media format. (I think it was Aykroyd that said that they were getting too old to run around with proton packs on their backs in regards to having this digital version instead.) As to whether the game's story is still cannon, it looks like it comes down to the beliefs of the guy that was a part of the writing for all 3 movies as well as the game (Aykroyd) and the guy that directed the first 2 movies (Reitman). Given that we made the game after the first 2 movies, my money is on the opinion of the guy that worked on the all of them.

I totally consider that 2009 GB game as Ghostbusters 3 since it had so much of the cast and writing team behind it. I’d like to see a remake on newer consoles or perhaps a CGI movie based on this game though. It deserves it.

I still consider the video game a part of the main timeline with the first two movies as it can always be set before ghostbusters afterlife

I’ve assumed that the gathering of ghost/slime energy always seemed to me to not necessarily be as some kind of power boost to a post-dimension-hopping weakened Gozer, but just a necessary step in Gozer’s summoning, a sacrifice needed in the ritual.

Other than the containment grid (which is easily explained away) there's nothing in Afterlife that directly contradicts the game. As for the grid being different, I think the remastered version of the game put parts of the old grid around the basement area as an easter egg. If I am remembering that correctly, then that would easily explain why the end of Afterlife had the GB2 grid as, like you pointed out, the bigger one was destroyed in the game so Egon and Ray would have had to put the older one back together quickly.

some people might say no due to shandor being defeated at the end of the game. but the thing is, they don’t trap shandor. they cross the streams and blow up his destructor form. that’s also how they defeat gozer in gb1. however in afterlife, they trap gozer in many ghost traps.

I will always consider the game canon, considering just how Dan talks about it and in respect of honoring Harold's last role in the franchise. Keeping it canon only adds to the story and, as shown by this video, doesn't detract from it with plot holes. There are even little design pieces that only really make sense if you include the game, mainly looking at Egon's proton pack in Afterlife. On the upper left corner, you can see the module with the antenna tied to the fourth firing mode from the game, and that's not even mentioning that the new Afterlife Egon proton pack toy has access to all four firing modes from the game. That attention to detail from even a merchandising company can only mean the game is canon.

I will definitely have to buy the game...

Just popping by and saying always quality content from you mam..I really enjoy the material you cover..super interesting and neat details..

You should do a similar video about The Real Ghostbusters and its revival Extreme Ghostbusters

Yes. Like it or not, Dan Aykroyd himself said it was basically the third movie.

Hasbro released the "Spengler" Neutrona wand which is based on the Afterlife movie version. It has lights and sound that you would expect but it also has 3 other modes that mimic the lights and sounds from the other modes you use in the game. (Slime, Boson darts, etc.)

I'd give it a big yes, yet, moreover a bridge between 2 and 3 (Afterlife).

I think it is for many different reasons. 1. This was the last Ghostbusters project Harold Ramis worked on, why would they toss it out like garbage? 2. It also delved deeper into many different loose ends not tied up in the first and second films. 3. In Ghostbusters, Gozer manifested as Mr. Stay Puft, and they crossed the streams to destroy their destructor form. In Ghostbusters 3, Ivo Shandor manifests as Satan, and they defeat him in that form. Both of those characters return in Afterlife. 4. Gozer looks very pissed off at Shandor in Afterlife when he was in their temple when the ghost montage happens. This could be because Shandor attempted to be a God himself instead of continuing to worship them, and failed to destroy the world. 5. Ivo Shandor looks exactly like how he does in the video game as he does in Afterlife. 6. With leftover PK energy, Gozer manifested as Stay Puft in 3, and Ray talked about one destructor form per god per dimension. Gozer manifests the Mini Pufts in Afterlife. Gozer decides to stay in their default form in Afterlife because they were unsuccessful as Stay Puft twice, and sent the Mini Pufts as a distraction to the Ghostbusters. 7. The Ghostbusters go straight to crossing the streams as if it's safer than normal, and it is as when you accidentally cross streams in the game, you just fall down. When Shandor and Gozer are defeated at the end of the first and third parts, there is a big explosion because there is energy there to cause it. 8. Ray mentions during the credits that business would be slow, and he also mentioned that in Afterlife. 9. The extra equipment on the proton pack was removed to cut maintenance costs when buisiness got slow. 10. Ecto 1b breaks down when they try to pull down the giant gate, so they didn't have the budget for a new car and got the original Ecto-1 repaired. There are car doors hidden behind windows in the game with the ghostbusters ii logo on them, implying 1b is an upgrade. 11. Ghostbusters II was never mentioned in Afterlife in an obvious way, but was confirmed to be canon.

The video game is definitely a staple in anyones library. It was great the first time through and many times since. Mini puft could just be a byproduct of inter dimensional travel. Maybe this form of gozer is exactly how they imagined it initially wasn’t shown before because she had both the terror dogs there all the time?

I like to think that SOME of what happens in the game takes place, but the game is actually a fictional recounting of it with embellishments thrown in for entertainment's sake by Venkman. Maybe the game is a movie or cartoon adaptation that was released in the early 90s right as the actual firm was falling apart in real life.

Personally, I would consider it canon over Afterlife, but I think it's just a matter of personal preference.

This was extremely intriguing. You all did a really great job with this. Thank you for making it.

Afterlife, IMO, should have taken place after Ghostbusters: The Video Game. IMO.

Soft canon to me. It explains so much and confirms EVERYTHING I've troubled to think of

I call it the 3rd movie for sure and it's definitely canon in my eyes and i love this game

I will always consider the video game to be canon just like Dan Aykroyd said since he is the original creator of the idea of Ghostbusters overall, and I think it fits in well with Ghostbusters: Afterlife in the way that you explained it here in this video. Just my opinion of course, but I stand by it.

huge YES! the video game is ghostbuster 3 and Afterlife is it's sequel making it Ghostbusters 4.

i think it all fits together, there are even episodes of real ghostbusters and even ghostbusters extreme, that can support it all

This was very well done. I hope we get a definite confirmation of the video game being canon. Thanks for this video!

I feel the game can be and should be canon. I’ve been saying this for a while, I wish Sony would remake the story of the game as an animated film. Keep the voice acting and story, translate it to pure film form. That said, I don’t expect this. The next film could make or break the game as canon.

I think if when we see the afterlife sequel it would be awesome if they show a bunch of stuff alluding to the after battles with staypuft like the original marshmallow suits that the spectral ghostbusters fought in, and also maybe mod parts that ego took off the packs before he left for Oklahoma.. he really only needed the photonstream to keep the pit at bay. Theres ways they can give nods to the games fans without making it full plot lore of the film since alot of movie goers wouldn't have played the game through. Id love to see the firehouse with an added wing or rooftop heli-pad with some of the extra toy vehicles we grew up with. The put the eyeball ghost in afterlife from the Kenner toys. Also would love to see the ghost viewer as well. The kids could actually come across the viewer and see trapped ghosts like boogieman and Samhain (if they don't use those for the next film)

I always felt they could have easily made Ghostbusters The Video Game canon via one simple change. Make Gary Grooberson the Rookie from the game. It would have helped lend with suspending disbelief that Egon just up and left in the middle of the night, while stealing a lot of equipment from the firehouse, including all the ghost traps. If the Rookie had helped him, and stayed in Summerville to help supervise, but also went no contact after awhile because Egon bece increasingly erratic. It would make Ray feeling betrayed a lot more easier to swallow if it came from Rookie, and he was transferring that anger and resentment equally to Egin for literally splitting the team and stealing the equipment, forcing them to shut down operations once again. And the fact that Egin died is not relatively known to the townspeople in Afterlife, unless the Spengler family personally let them know, the Dirt Farmer was a well-known recluse. Making Gary Rookie helps jad some history to years we didn't see between 2 and Afterlife, and helps fill that gap even better if the Video Game is canon. Ot also retroactively helps with Peck position as mayor in Frozen Empire, since the Ghostbusters are operating openly and he didn't shut them down immediately, since Peck in the Video Game was head of the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission, a committee that was made to oversee and supervise the Ghostbusters. That carried over a lot into the IDW comics, but the comics go deep into story, so, I'm not too beholden to be a slave to the comics continuity. But, making the Video Game canon would actually help in the long run, in fact, it also helps with a quick character interaction in Afterlife as well. In the Video Game, Ivo Shandor becomes unhappy with Gozer's ineffectiveness at destroying the world, so he takes the god's power for his own, essentially forsaking Gozer. And then in Afterlife, Shandor's body is resting a glass coffin in the mines, where another Gozer temple had been constructed. When Gozer enters our dimension again, it unleashed a surge of ghosts, including Ivo Shandor, possessing his own deceased body. He tries to shower Gozer with praise and admiration, but Gozer just splits the supernatural sycophantic, ripping him in half without a second thought. Don't even have to explain it, but if you played the game, it helps with extra context to believe Gozer would have been extremely angered by Shandor's actions during the Video Game. Anyway, that's my personal opinion, of course, i feel like they're already too far gone into the new movies to make that sort of change, that would have to have had happened during the pre-production phase of Afterlife. They had the original writers and and cast for the Video Game, seems a shame not to use what they already had available to them to help build off of besides just the original movie and 2.

I agree with Dan, before we got afterlife, the game was "Ghostbusters 3"

I’ll always consider the game to be canon. Although some connections are tenuous at best. Where I don’t think that Gill, Jason and Ivan had the game in mind when bringing us Afterlife, I think luckily there is enough still plausible that we can keep that dream alive. For example, I don’t think that Shandor would have been such a willing servant to Gozer in Afterlife after the events of the game. I’m also unsure why the containment unit would change back when they had advanced it to be bigger etc. but let’s just put that down to creative license from Atari more than inconsistencies. I love this channel’s videos. Keep em’ comin’.

I figured it's canon. I know they kept saying "30 years" in the Afterlife film, but people take words too literally sometimes. After all, who ever heard someone say "I'd die for __?__" and actually dies when they got it? I wish the cartoons and IDW comics could tie in a little more (question is: is Extreme Ghostbusters Canon now?).

I think the game can still be canon if we omit one collectible you can find, The Skull of Ivo Shandor, since we see Shandor’s body in afterlife.

I don't see anything in the game that irrevocably contradicts anything in any of the four movies, therefore we callin it canon.

You managed to come up with a lot of ideas I didn't even think of but there's one thing that Frozen Empire added since this upload that I believe de-canonized the video game officially. SPOILER!! Eleanor Twitty appears again in Frozen Empire in the library, despite that she was captured in the video game. I really liked the movie overall, but that immediately made the video game not canon which I hate because it was the best "sequel" we ever got.

They also crossed the streams in the animated series as well

Here is my ghostbusters timeline: ghostbuster1-real ghostbusters-ghostbusters 2- ghostbusters the video game- extreme ghostbusters and now ghostbusters afterlife

To me everything in the franchise (Ghostbusters, The Real Ghostbusters, II, The Video Game, Extreme and Afterlife) is one timeline

They really ought to make a sequel to this game, tying in the events of Afterlife. Make it open world in NY, with side missions coming from phone calls that take you to various parts of the map busting ghosts.

This is the one game I most wish someone would port to VR with a conversion mod.

Tbh the game still works with the timeline, and honestly gives one last hurrah to the OG boys in grey before haunting got thin and Afterlife continued on afterwards

Another possibility is that Gozer was only locked to the Stay Puft form the first time they returned... but any other tume after that Gozer no longer was locked to said form.

I love this game. its canon to me i treat it as the real 3rd movie, its soo good. 🥰

Great research awesome job guys

I feel like Frozen Empire retconned the Afterlife plot line that had The Ghostbusters basically out of business for the 30 year time gap from 1989 to 2019. That's how Ray made it sound on the phone. Was he just lying? How long was Dirt Farmer on his dirt farm for? Was it DECADES? They made it look like it was quite a while. It had to take a long time to set up all that he did.

It's canon. It will always be canon. If the future filmmakers of the Ghostbusters franchise don't mention the game and don't mention it's not canon, then it is canon. The game and the story is great! :D

I’d say the game is soft canon, as Afterlife doesn’t go out of its way to contradict it. It holds so much value to me, and while Afterlife was great, the video game was the final adventure for the original cast.

Thanks for the breakdown between Afterlife and the video game.

Don't forget that Gozer the Destructor never appeared in Afterlife, only Gozer the Traveler. That means Gozer's appearance didn't violate Ray's hypothesized "one Destructor form per god per dimension" idea, and perhaps even reinforces it. But also part of the issue in Afterlife is that Gozer is trapped in our dimension and doesn't have the power granted him from having the gate to his own dimension opened, since the Ghostbusters appear to have destroyed it by crossing the streams in the first film. No extra power from home, no Destructor form. Also, Ray does mention to Podcast that he just singlehandedly destroyed a manifestation of Gozer, so I think the Mini Puffs are intended to be just that, a manifestation of Gozer's power, but not necessarily where his consciousness resides. More like a side effect of that much of Gozer's specific energy existing. Still not enough to make a full Marshmallow Man, but also locked in that form as Ray suggested earlier. Like adorable mini-Destructors. So maybe Gozer the Destructor did appear, and he was the mini-Puffs, while Gozer the Traveler also appeared and was the Yugoslavian model.

Very interesting deep dive! Nice job!

I thought for sure it would be considering the Spengler Wand from Afterlife had TVG sound effects. The only problem is that if the game were cannon it would make the rest of the busters look like stupid assholes. Like, you battle Gozer. Then you battle Vego. Then you battle all that crazy stuff in the game and duke it out with Shandor's ghost. Then Egon would have to figure out some crazy world ending stuff was going on with Gozer again and then no one would believe him. I mean, that plot doesn't make sense anyways, but it really doesn't if you factor in the game.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is absolutely brilliant and should be canon. I was thinking about this while watching GB:A and you pretty much touched on all the points I was bringing up while watching it. While the filmmakers may not have intended the game to be canon, they actually didn't contradict it enough to completely erase it. There is definitely enough there for the game and film to coexist. I think the Ecto-1 being in its original GB1 configuration makes sense when you factor in the game. The way people talk about Ecto-1 and 1A, you would think there was more than one car. I don't believe there is and the 1, 1A and 1B are just additional lettering indicating when the car was restored. Remember that Ecto-1 had fallen into disrepair by the start of GB2 and it became 1A after it was restored when they got back in business. So how did it return to its GB1 configuration? In GB:TVG they removed the GB2 ghost logo making the peace sign and returned the GB1 logo. If Egon stole the car and dismantled the "Super Slammer" to build his super trap on the farm, then it makes sense he could have removed other striping and the extra logo on the hood to leave it pretty much like it was in GB1, since GB:TVG had already started that process years earlier. I honestly hope we can raise enough awareness to get the filmmakers to reconsider. GB:A doesn't erase TVG and if they're going to make more GB films in the not too distant future, then they should bring the game in and use it to expand on the universe. The lore it added was great and honestly, I would love a sequel to the game.

since it last item with a living Harold Raimis Ego. I consider it cannon.