Are there really infinite Mortys?

A scientist with an intentionally mysterious backstory. His grandson, a reluctant participant of multidimensional intergalactic shenanigans. This is Rick and Morty. If you haven't already been swept up in this cult hit, don't worry. Either the critically acclaimed TV show or the successful App Store game Rick and Morty: Pocket Mortys will suck you in.

The series, co-created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, is currently in its third highly-anticipated season on Adult Swim. However, between episodes fans have been experiencing their own adventures in Pocket Mortys, a game where players can collect Mortys, battle parallel-universe Ricks and win badges to showcase their defeats.

Now with its recent update, Pocket Mortys has the added option of multiplayer; meaning you can now battle other Ricks anywhere in the world.

We sat down with Justin and Dan to chat about the game, the show, and what's to come for the characters.

So, Pocket Mortys. It's kind of ingenious! Where did the idea come from, and how did the project begin?

Justin: Big Pixel presented the idea to Adult Swim Games, and it got passed along to me. I absolutely loved the concept. I remember I had a few notes and suggestions at the very outset of development, but I can't even remember what they were, to be honest. It's been so long. The idea of herding a bunch of Mortys around and fighting them was hilarious. I went back to working on the show and completely forgot about it. Big Pixel and Adult Swim Games worked quietly on the game, and then suddenly, like a surprise gift in the mail, we got a test build and we all became obsessed. When the game went live, the entire writers' room was playing obsessively.

So, Pocket Mortys. It’s kind of ingenious to pitch the infinite Mortys against each other in a Morty-on-Morty combat-style adventure. How did the project get started?

Justin: [Developer] Big Pixel presented the idea to Adult Swim Games, and I absolutely loved it – the idea of herding a bunch of Mortys around and fighting them was hilarious. But then I went back to working on the show and completely forgot about it. Big Pixel and Adult Swim Games worked quietly on the game, and then suddenly – like a surprise gift in the mail – we got a test build. When the game went live, the entire writers’ room was playing obsessively.

Are there really infinite Mortys out there in the multiverse? Or will we absolutely, positively know when we've witnessed every potential Morty there is to see?

Justin: When we talk about the multiverse, we use the word “infinite” a lot. When we actually think about “infinite,” our brains melt. I think a part of my brain needs to believe that it's not literally infinite. It's a massive number, though. There is a central finite curve of accessible realities, and they get weirder and weirder as you get to the edges of that curve, but past that curve is just garbage inhospitable static realities. All this is to say, I think we can safely assume we haven't seen every potential Morty.

Of all the Mortys in the multiverse, who's your favourite?

Justin: The One True Morty because he has a robot arm and a mohawk and he rides a super-cool space motorcycle and he's the leader of an entire insane religion based around Mortys. I still don't understand how he's not game-breakingly overpowered.

Dan: I know my least favorite Morty is Veiny Morty. I just get freaked out about cardiovascular stuff. My choice has gotta be Scruffy Morty from the beginning of the game.

Will we see Easter egg–like treats pop up in Pocket Mortys that’ll cause conspiracies, or references to the game in the show?

Justin: Keep your eyes peeled. The secrets of c137 Rick’s origin story are scattered throughout the game, hidden in the environment art. As for the game looping back into the show’s continuity...I don’t actually know. Anything is possible if the right idea hits us. Right now, I feel like it’s taking place on a citadel in another reality within the multiverse. Are there multiple citadels of Ricks? Does anything even matter at that point? I guess not. I guess that’s Rick’s mantra. Nothing matters in an “infinite” multiverse.

You’ve created a phenomenon with the show. What Rick and Morty “thing” do you want stores to carry that's yet to be made?

Justin: The merch so far has been incredible! I would love to see a bunch of weird rubbery plumbuses in the toy aisle. Oh! And really cool puppets like the Billy Baloney from Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Man, I loved puppets as a kid. It would also be neat to have a series of talking electronic Rick and Morty figures, and when you place them next to each other, they hold conversations.

Dan: A huge 100-hour-plus video might not count as “merchandising,” but that's the thing I definitely want to see. Or a really great time-wasting clicker that has recursive logic to it. And how about an Inspector Gadget–type Rick figure that’s 10 inches tall and has all sort of gadgets that come out of it?

You released the first episode of Season 3 on April 1st of this year and then went quiet about the rest of the season. Why’d you do that?

Justin: I think it’s fun to mess with the fans in a fun way. When we did that on April 1st, the response was, “Yeah, right... APRIL FOOLS’!” And then to watch it all play out on Twitter was just incredible.

Dan: I was waiting for someone to ask me, “Where's Season 3?” so I could say, “What do you expect me to do, just wave a magic wand and release it right now? Alright... just this one time.”

Justin: They ran the episode on a loop until midnight, and that really helped word of mouth to spread. You can actually track the awareness by how often the Rick and Morty shirts that Dan wears are recognised, and it’s skyrocketed to the point where Dan can’t even wear them anymore!


Any last words before you portal back to your dimension?

Justin: Season 3 is pretty insane. I can’t wait to see which episodes are fan favorites and which ones fall FLAT! As for Pocket Mortys, I’d love to see a sequel that has an even longer campaign! We shall see!

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