Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Fox moves away from Sega for next Alien game set in persistent universe

Jon Martindale
By

foxnext cold iron alien game isolation 03 1402071158 800x450 c
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Following a mixed bag of game releases based on the Alien property with publisher Sega, Fox has now announced a new game is under development in that universe at its own in-house development division, FoxNext. The core of the development team, however, will be made up of industry veterans from the recently acquired Cold Iron Studios.

Some of those longtime developers include former members of Cryptic Studios, of City of Heroes fame, like CEO Craig Zinkievich and studio art director Matt Highison. In its acquisition of the studio and their talents, FoxNext praised their craftsmanship and development talent and said they were the perfect team to “pursue our goal to build a multiplatform, multigenre portfolio of great games.” The first game they’re going to work on, though, is a new one in the Alien universe.

Recommended Videos

“All of us at FoxNext Games are thrilled to be working with them as they create an action-packed persistent world, steeped in the mysteries of this beloved Alien universe.” president of studios at FoxNext Games, Aaron Loeb said in a statement, via Polygon.

Related

Although fans may be a little concerned over the mention of “action-packed” in relation to an Alien game, it doesn’t sound like whatever’s being made will be another Aliens: Colonial Marines. Loeb mentioned the game would be set in a “persistent world” suggesting that we may be looking at something more akin to Destiny.  Considering the MMO pedigree of some of the Cold Iron Studios team too, it’s equally possible that a full-scale MMO could be in the works, though those kind of projects are far rarer today than they were in years gone by.

The most successful Alien game in recent years, and arguably ever depending on your preference for the Alien movies, was Alien: Isolation. The Creative Assembly development was the last game published by Sega in that universe and focused on a setting and style much more akin to the original 1979 Alien movie, where a single protagonist makes her way around a derelict space station, looking to survive against a single xenomorph.

Considering Cold Iron’s website is still advertising for concept artists, it seems likely that this game is still in the very early stages of development. In the meantime, Fox is also working on a brand-new Alien VR experience.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale
Computing Coordinator
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Embracer Group is splitting into 3 companies. Here’s who owns what
Rise of the Tomb Raider

Embracer, the embattled gaming company that went through a massive restructuring over the past year, just announced that it will split up into three different companies: Asmodee, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends.

If you need a refresher, Embracer Group gained a reputation for acquiring gaming IPs and studios, including everything from Borderlands' Gearbox Entertainment to Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics to The Lord of the Rings' rights holder Middle-earth Enterprises. It functioned as one massive company separated into several operating groups. After a deal with Saudi Arabia's Savvy Group fell through last year, Embracer went through a massive period of "restructuring" where it laid thousands of developers off, shut down studios, and sold the likes of Saber Interactive and Gearbox. Now, it seems the saga of Embracer Group is nearing its end, as the company admitted in a press release "that the current Group structure does not create optimal conditions for future value creation both for Embracer Group’s shareholders and other stakeholders."

Read more
Hades 2: release date prediction, trailers, gameplay, and more
Melinoe standing in a stone circle.

Just like Zagreus' never-ending quest to escape the Underworld in Greek mythology, it seems we too are destined to continue fighting through new levels of demons and monsters in the sequel to the amazing roguelike Hades. We're not complaining, as that game was one of the best games released in 2020, and no one expected a sequel at all, let alone one announced so soon. Hades 2 will be the first sequel studio Supergiant Games have ever made, and it makes sense given how successful and popular the first game ended up being. Aside from some notable exceptions like Rogue Legacy 2 and Spelunky 2, not many roguelikes ever get a direct sequel, so there's a lot of mystery surrounding how Hades 2 will be different from the first game. But there's no need to dive into the depths of the Underworld yourself in search of answers, as we've pulled all the information we could from the jaws of Cerberus.
Release date

Hades 2 has no release date quite yet. However, the team has apparently been working on it since early 2021, and, just like the first, will come out first in early access. Supergiant has stated that details about this early access period would be revealed in 2023, however, that does not guarantee it will actually begin in 2023. The first Hades was in early access for almost two years, but we know that a slightly bigger team is working on Hades 2 from the start so this game may hit 1.0 a bit faster.
Platforms

Read more
Tales of the Shire is a The Lord of the Rings-themed take on Stardew Valley
A Hobbit gardens in Tales of the Shire.

Private Division revealed a new game set in the Middle-earth universe called Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game. The title, developed by Wētā Workshop Game Studio, is a cozy life simulator set within the world of the books by J.R.R. Tolkien.

In 2022, No Rest for the Wicked publisher Private Division first teased that it was working on a game based on The Lord of the Rings with Wētā Workshop, the visual effects studio whose initial claim to fame was working on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Wētā Workshop has technically had a game studio since 2014, but Tales of the Shire will be its most significant release yet.

Read more