Tom Hanks is releasing his first video game on Apple Arcade

Beloved actor and father figure to a generation of movie watchers, Tom Hanks, is releasing a video game. Yes, that’s right – the man known to many as Woody from Toy Story, the bastard Colonel from Elvis, friend of Wilson the volleyball from Castaway, and Forest Gump himself will debut Hanx101 Trivia on the Apple Arcade subscription service on 2 September 2022.

[Update: 31 August 2022 – Apple describes Hanx101 Trivia as ‘Hank’s first game,’ and it being created ‘as a way for him to share his love and passion for trivia,’ according to a press release. However, GamesHub has been informed by peers at GameIndustry that Hank was previously involved in the development and release of another mobile game, Tom Hanks’ Electric City: The Revolt. The original article continues below.]

Hanx101 Trivia is, naturally, a general knowledge trivia game that spans a variety of categories – math, geography, food, all that fun stuff. It features a single-player component with a high score challenge, as well as head-to-head and team-based multiplayer modes. It’s being developed by BlueLine Studios in partnership with Tom Hanks. BlueLine is staffed with several former Electronic Arts and Zynga employees, and Hanx101 Trivia is the company’s first title.

Read: The best mobile games of 2022 (so far)

The game itself does not appear to feature the visage of Tom Hanks, but we’ll be sure to update this article if the actor does indeed appear in some form. This is not the actor’s first foray into the world of software, either – Hanks released Hanx Writer in 2017, a novelty typewriter app that shared his love for the analog writing machines.

A big Tom Thanks to Tom Hanks for giving us Hanx101 Trivia. It’ll be available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

All the new Apple Arcade games coming in September 2022

In addition to Hanx101 Trivia, Apple Arcade will also see four other new games come to the service, the most exciting of which is Shovel Knight Dig.

A spin-off from the exceptional retro platformer Shovel Knight, Dig sees the universe rendered in a more detailed graphical style. It appears that Dig will maintain the action combat of the original game, but introduce some kind of tunnelling mechanic that randomly strings a series of rooms together for a different adventure each time.

In addition, the beautiful GRIS from Devolver Digital is getting an ‘App Store Greats’ version — essentially the same version of the game as it exists on the App Store, only made available to Apple Arcade subscribers at no additional cost.

Here are all new the games launching on Apple Arcade in September 2022, as described by Apple:

Arcade Originals

• Hanx101 Trivia (BlueLine Studios) Launching September 2: Tom Hanks is challenging fellow trivia lovers! Play, learn, compete, and become a trivia master with Hanx101 Trivia, created and developed in partnership with actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks. Players can test their knowledge across multiple categories from history to math, geography to food — the questions keep coming. Players can beat their own high score or challenge others in head-to-head trivia stand-offs or team play in the first ever trivia game on Apple Arcade.

• Horizon Chase 2 (Aquiris Game Studio) Launching September 9: The newest game in the award-winning racing franchise, Horizon Chase 2 is a fast-paced arcade racing game with a unique art style, thrilling and original soundtrack, and — in a series first — online multiplayer for all game modes. Featuring classic 90’s signature arcade gameplay with accessible yet competitive controls, original and exclusive car designs, and lots of customisations, players will race across the globe in an immersive and dynamic experience that is a modern take on classic arcade racing.

• Garden Tails: Match and Grow (PlayDots) Launching September 16: Enter a tranquil world and build a garden bursting with life. In this calming match 3 puzzler, players can play at their own pace and watch their plot become a haven for all types of life. From common critters to majestic rarities, players will unravel the charming histories and backstories of all the animal friends they met along the way. Take a break, sit back and start growing a vibrant and lush garden, one puzzle at a time.

• Shovel Knight Dig (Yacht Club Games) Launching September 23: When Drill Knight and his dastardly digging crew blast apart Shovel Knight’s peaceful campsite and steal his loot, he grabs his trusty Shovel Blade and starts tunneling after them. Shovel Knight Dig is a thrilling all-new adventure from the hit 2D side-scrolling platform series. The game is the first Shovel Knight title in glorious high color pixel graphics and sound. Fluid animation, scaling, rotation, and parallax create the most convincing Shovel Knight world yet. Players will meet new friends and foes, visit strange lands, and outfit themselves in their quest to keep the entire land from collapsing underfoot. Jump, slash, and dig through an ever-changing chasm of mystery in Shovel Knight Dig. 

App Store Greats

• GRIS+ (Devolver Digital) Launching September 30: GRIS+ is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration or death. Players will explore a meticulously designed world brought to life with delicate art, detailed animation, and an elegant original score. Through the game light puzzles, platforming sequences, and optional skill-based challenges will reveal themselves as more of Gris’s world becomes accessible. Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality. As the story unfolds, Gris will grow emotionally and see her world in a different way, revealing new paths to explore using her new abilities.