It’s been a few years since we got a new Alien video game, but there’s no keeping a good Xenomorph down. FoxNext Games, the recently-formed “interactive entertainment” arm of 21st Century Fox, have announced they’re producing a new Alien shooter for PC and consoles.
This new Alien game will be the work of Cold Iron Studios, a developer formed in 2015 and recently purchased by FoxNext. Cold Iron is primarily staffed by former Cryptic Studios (City of Heroes, Star Trek Online) devs, but is also home to folks who have worked on Borderlands, BioShock Infinite, Doom and Metroid Prime 3. We don’t know much about the new game, other than the “shooter” designation, but given the former Cryptic Studios devs working on the game, a heavy online element seems likely.
Cold Iron CEO Craig Zinkievich certainly seems revved up to be tackling the horror franchise…
“It's Aliens! We're all excited to be working on such a storied franchise. To explore areas of the universe that fans haven't gotten to experience, to put a game in that setting, is incredible. Having the full force of the world-class creatives, producers and business team at Fox behind the project allows us to take our plans to the next level."
Sega held the publishing rights to the Alien franchise for years, producing a mixed bag of games. 2010’s Aliens vs. Predator and Aliens: Colonial Marines were disappointments, but the horror-focused Alien: Isolation was a hit with critics and fans alike. Unfortunately, all Sega’s Alien games, even Isolation, were sales disappointments, so it’s not surprising Fox has decided to move development in house.
No word yet on when the new Alien shooter will arrive, but don’t expect it for a while. FoxNext also had no comment on how Disney’s recent $52 billion acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox will affect them.
What do you think? Excited for a new Alien game? What would you like to see done with the franchise?
