The long-rumored XCOM remake was announced last night by 2K Games. As it turns out though, it’s not really a remake, but rather a re-imagining of the original, X-COM: UFO Defense. The new title will see players take on the role of a FBI agent “tasked with identifying and eliminating the growing threat” from an “unknown enemy”.
The dash in XCOM isn’t the only thing to go. While the original fell into the turn-based strategy genre, this new title will be a first-person shooter. Fortunately for fans of the original, the press release does mention that XCOM will maintain the “strategic core” of the original. For now though, it’s unclear as to how.
The game is currently in development, for the Xbox 360 and PC, at 2K Marin, the studio behind BioShock 2. There’s still no word on a release date.
“With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with XCOM they will re-imagine and expand the rich lore of this revered franchise,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Players will explore the world of XCOM from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride.”
The game’s official website is now live, and it offers a short paragraph summarizing XCOM‘s new direction.
GamesRadar revealed earlier today that the June 2010 issue of OXM will feature an exclusive cover story on XCOM. The story will explore XCOM‘s first-person gameplay and “mysterious adventure elements”, among other aspects of the game.
Update: 2K confirmed with 1UP that the core BioShock 2 team is not leading the development of XCOM. Instead, 2K Marin’s Australian division (formerly 2K Australia) is heading up development of the new title.
The Australian division did contribute towards the development of BioShock 2, but was not considered part of the core creative team.
Positive, negative or mixed reactions to the reveal? Discuss away.
