Pipeworks Studios could have more classic Godzilla games in its sights if Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered performs well.
The developer isn’t announcing any additional projects just yet, but comments from senior designer Simon Strange to IGN suggest there is genuine interest in bringing more of Pipeworks’ older Godzilla games back. That could eventually include Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed, two titles that followed Destroy All Monsters Melee during the studio’s original run with the franchise.
For fans who have been waiting years for these games to become available again, there is an especially encouraging detail behind the scenes. Pipeworks has already developed a way to work with assets from its older Godzilla games using modern development technology, which could make revisiting those titles considerably more practical than starting from scratch.
Strange explained that an engineer at Pipeworks created a tool that allowed assets from the studio’s original Spigot engine to be brought into Unreal. That technology has played a role in getting Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered off the ground, and it could potentially be useful if Pipeworks gets the opportunity to revisit its other Godzilla releases.
The important word, however, is “if.”
At this point, Godzilla: Save the Earth Remastered and Godzilla: Unleashed Remastered have not been announced. Any future projects would require further discussions between Pipeworks and Atari, and there is no guarantee those conversations will ultimately result in new releases.
Still, Strange made it clear that he would personally like to see the games return.
“Let me tell you, I had that desire long before we announced this game, so I get it,” Strange said. “I want to do all that stuff, too.”
That enthusiasm is particularly notable given that Pipeworks isn’t looking at its old Godzilla games purely as pieces of history. The studio appears to be interested in figuring out what can be done with them today, rather than simply placing the original games on modern storefronts with minimal changes.
That could be especially relevant for Godzilla: Unleashed.
Released in 2007, Unleashed was the third mainline Godzilla fighting game developed by Pipeworks after Destroy All Monsters Melee and Save the Earth. While the game expanded the roster and introduced a number of new ideas, it has never developed quite the same reputation as its predecessors.
Strange suggested that if Pipeworks ever gets another opportunity with Unleashed, the goal shouldn’t necessarily be to make a traditional remaster.
“I would especially love – and I’m speaking a little out of turn here – but I would love to avenge the sort of mediocre release of Godzilla: Unleashed,” Strange said.
He went on to explain that the team had previously discussed the possibility of remastering the older games, but he doesn’t believe Unleashed would benefit as much from a straightforward visual upgrade.
That opens up an interesting possibility for the future. Rather than simply improving the resolution, textures and performance of Unleashed, Pipeworks could potentially use a new release as an opportunity to fix some of the issues that affected the original game and rethink parts of its design.
In that respect, Unleashed could actually be the more interesting project if Pipeworks ever gets the green light.
Save the Earth, meanwhile, would seem like a more straightforward candidate for a modern remaster. The 2004 sequel built on the foundation established by Destroy All Monsters Melee, expanding its roster and adding more content while retaining the same basic kaiju arena-fighting formula. Both games have remained difficult to access legally on current platforms, making them obvious candidates for a revival.
There is also clearly an audience interested in seeing these games return. Discussions among Godzilla fans following the announcement of Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered have frequently turned toward Save the Earth and Unleashed, with fans debating which game deserves a modern release most.
For Pipeworks, though, fan interest is only one part of the equation.
The studio has changed considerably since those original games were developed. Strange recalled that the team behind the first Destroy All Monsters Melee was only around 12 people working together in one room. Pipeworks has since grown dramatically and now works across a much broader range of projects, meaning resources have to be balanced between numerous games and development commitments.
That makes the success of Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered potentially important beyond the game itself.
The remaster is being presented as more than a simple port of the 2002 release. Pipeworks and Atari have upgraded the visuals, added quality-of-life improvements and introduced online multiplayer alongside the original local multiplayer experience. The game also features eight locations with day and night variations and a roster of 12 playable monsters.
If players respond positively, it could give Atari and Pipeworks a stronger reason to continue exploring the franchise’s back catalog.
Strange indicated that there are already discussions taking place, with both companies having business development teams involved in determining what could come next. He stopped short of confirming anything, but described plenty of possibilities as being on the table.
That means fans shouldn’t take these comments as confirmation that Save the Earth or Unleashed are currently being remastered. For now, Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered remains the only project officially announced.
It is nevertheless a promising sign for one of the more overlooked eras of Godzilla gaming. Pipeworks produced three very different arena fighters during the 2000s, and the original games have become increasingly difficult for modern audiences to experience without tracking down older hardware and copies.
Now that Pipeworks has found a way to bring some of that older technology into a modern development environment, the biggest obstacles may no longer be purely technical. The future could instead come down to whether Atari and Pipeworks believe there is enough demand to justify bringing the rest of the trilogy back.
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is scheduled to launch on November 3, 2026, for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
For now, that game is the test. But if it finds an audience, there is a very real possibility that this won’t be the last time Pipeworks’ classic Godzilla games get a chance to return.