One of the biggest surprises during the Summer Game Fest 2025 wasn’t the Resident Evil: Requiem or Atomic Heart 2. It was observing the revival of a forgotten niche of capture the flag (CTF) shooters through Last Flag. The game seems wacky, fun, and interesting, all the qualities Team Fortress 2 had.
What might surprise you more is the people supporting the development. Dan and Mac Reynolds of Imagine Dragons are the co-founders of Night Street Games. The game concept, inspired by their childhood, seems promising, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.
Team Fortress 2 may have been abandoned, but the legacy will carry on
The major problems with shooters nowadays are how competitive and serious it is. However, games like Team Fortress 2 lighten the situation and focus on plain fun. If you’ve gone through the same motion, you might have felt happy to see Last Flag at the Summer Game Fest 2025.
Capture the flag has always remained a playable game mode across various video games, but it got sidelined over time, probably because of the adrenaline-rushing search and destroy, capture the zone, and more modern blood-pumping modes. However, Last Flag wants to revive that genre by making the mode standalone.
Also, instead of making it too serious, the game has goofy vibes, which are similar to Team Fortress 2. Not taking itself too seriously, fun abilities, and a game mode that requires players to trust their instincts. These vibes were enough to capture the hearts of many.
Now, many of you might tag it as Imagine Dragons extending their business, but it really isn’t. Video games have always been about experiencing ideas, and this is an idea that is being re-explored—the right kind of nostalgia baiting, which is fun to experience with friends.
Capture the flag is one of the most fun variants of hide-and-seek
Capture the flag might be a traditional kids’ game, but it crawled way into video games way back in the past. Unreal Tournament, Quake, you name it, this particular game mode stood out. However, gradually, it started showing up less.
Dan Reynolds might be known for being the lead of Imagine Dragons, and Mac as the manager of the band. But the idea behind creating Last Flag originated from an innocent story from the co-founders, before Imagine Dragons were a thing. A time when games were mostly played outdoors, instead of indoors.
During the Summer Game Fest 2025 presentation, Mac Reynolds revealed a part of their childhood. When video games weren’t a thing, the brothers would play Capture the Flag in the woods at night with a flashlight. This was an exciting way to play the game, and they wanted to keep the creative part in their game as well.
Dan and I grew up playing capture the flag in the woods at night with flashlights, friends, and lots of adrenaline. Last Flag is our attempt to honor the purity and magic of that hide and seek experience, brought to life by the incredible team of developers we’re lucky enough to stand beside.
It might sound like a boomer, but playing outdoors had a specific charm. If you were lucky enough to experience that, you’d know that. Team Fortress 2 tried to keep the nostalgia alive, but it doesn’t have the craze to share it. Thanks to Last Flag, gamers would be able to experience something fun like that again.
What do you think about Last Flag? Do you think Dan and Mac Reynolds will be able to revive a forgotten niche with their game? Share your opinions in the comments below!
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
