XCOM Announced!

 

The rumours that 2K was working on a new XCOM turns out to be true. Yesterday, 2K announced that 2K Marin(Bioshock 2 studio) will be developing a new XCOM game. Much of the speculation centered around the 2K Boston studio now named Irrational Games as they have not announced what they have been working on for quite sometime now. However, XCOM won’t be a turn based isometric strategy game like the old classic. The press release calls it a ‘reimagining’ with a new first person perspective with a strong emphasis on gripping story.

 

New York, NY – April 14, 2010 – 2K Games announced today that XCOM®, the re-imagining of one of gaming’s most storied and beloved franchises, is currently in development at 2K Marin, the studio behind the multi-million unit selling BioShock® 2. Currently in development exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, XCOM combines the strategic core of the groundbreaking franchise with a suspense-filled narrative and distills it into a tense and unique first-person shooter experience.

 

“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.”

 

XCOM is the re-imagining of the classic tale of humanity’s struggle against an unknown enemy that puts players directly into the shoes of an FBI agent tasked with identifying and eliminating the growing threat. True to the roots of the franchise, players will be placed in charge of overcoming high-stake odds through risky strategic gambits coupled with heart-stopping combat experiences that pit human ingenuity – and frailty – against a foe beyond comprehension. By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world.

 

XCOM is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on XCOM please visit www.XCOM.com.

 

2K Games is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

About 2K Marin

With sister studios in Novato, California and Canberra, Australia, 2K Marin is a 2K development studio focused on creating new IP and expanding proven franchises for 2K Games. Having recently completed the award-winning BioShock® 2, 2K Marin is currently developing XCOM®, a suspenseful first-person shooter where players must do battle against an unknown and faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world.

 

It remains to be seen just how much of the strategic elements remains in this reboot. But it sounds like a first person shooter with some very light research and inventory management. I have a sneaking suspicion that base building is out(also note this will be coming out for the XBOX360). We’ll have to wait for more info on the game for now.