Ghostbusters Fans Hack Winston Into Classic Sega Genesis Game

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A group of Ghostbusters fans is hacking the SEGA Genesis game of the same name in order to add Winston Zeddemore to the title’s line-up. The Ghostbusters franchise has a long and storied history in the gaming medium, but as with the films, Ernie Hudson's character has sometimes gone overlooked.

The 1990 Ghostbusters video game, released for SEGA Genesis, is a side-scrolling shoot em' up that tasks players with fighting off an invasion of ghosts following an earthquake. The game consists of six levels, with upgrades being for purchase available between each level. Crucially, of the four original Ghostbusters, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler were the only playable characters, with Winston Zeddemore being totally absent. Winston has continued to make regular appearances in other pieces of Ghostbusters media over the years, with actor Ernie Hudson retaining a deep association with the franchise. Just last year, Hudson revealed that a sequel to 2009's Ghostbusters video game was in development. The game, titled Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, sees both Hudson and Dan Aykroyd reprise their roles as Winston and Ray respectively, and is set after Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

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Now a group of fans is working to restore Winston to his rightful place amongst the cast of the 1990 Ghostbusters game. As reported by IGN, the in-progress ROM hack is the work of three modders: BillyTime!Games, Danilo Diaz, and Master Linkeui. Master Linkeui has posted images to Twitter showcasing the mod, and a similar video was uploaded to the Billy Time! YouTube channel. Winston is apparently more physically capable than his fellow Ghostbusters in the game, with a higher strength stat