Author: John Scalzo

Well that didn’t take long. Sega has officially announced Alien: Isolation, just a few hours after Microsoft prematurely added a product listing for the game to Xbox.com.

Developed by Creative Assembly, Alien: Isolation wants to put the Alien back into games based the Alien film series and is ditching the Colonial Marines versus Xenomorphs style that has been used in most of the games based on the franchise. Eschewing the action-focused shooter model, the game is being developed as a survival horror where Amanda Ripley, the daughter of series star Ellen Ripley, attempts to escape from a single Xenomorph. Creative Assembly also plans to position the game as “lo-fi sci-fi” and they’re heavily leaning on the 1970s view of the future featured in the first movie.

Al Hope, the Creative Lead, said that the decision to base Alien: Isolation on Alien was made because, “[N]o one had created the game we wanted to play, which is one that captures the spirit of the original movie.”

Alien: Isolation will be available in late 2014 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Creative Assembly has also uploaded a behind-the-scenes video where the developers discus the “Origins” of Alien: Isolation. You can find it after the break. (more…)

Kotaku outed Creative Assembly’s Alien project, Alien: Isolation, a few months ago. Today, a product listing on Xbox.com has confirmed the game’s title as well as the starring role for Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, and the presence of only a single Xenomorph:

Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror set in an atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger. Fifteen years after the events of Alien, Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda enters a desperate battle for survival, on a mission to unravel the truth behind her mother’s disappearance. As Amanda, you will navigate through an increasingly volatile world as you find yourself confronted on all sides by a panicked, desperate population and an unpredictable, ruthless Alien. Underpowered and underprepared, you must scavenge resources, improvise solutions and use your wits, not just to succeed in your mission, but to simply stay alive.

As you can see, Xbox.com has also provided an early glimpse at the game’s box art. Alien: Isolation is in development for the “current-generation consoles” (obviously including the Xbox 360), “next-generation consoles,” and the PC. Hopefully, Sega will make an official announcement soon, but after the Aliens: Colonial Marines debacle, I understand why they’re being secretive about Creative Assembly’s Alien game.