Skip to main content

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

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.

“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.

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

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Volgarr the Viking 2 will take you back to your Ghosts ‘n Goblins days
A viking slashes a tree in Volgarr the Viking 2.

Developer Digital Eclipse is working on a surprising project: Volgarr the Viking 2. The 2D retro sequel will launch on August 6 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The news is an out of left field reveal. The first Volgarr the Viking game released in 2013 and was made as an ode to 1080s classics like Ghosts 'n Goblins. Despite being a small release, it sold over 1 million copies over the past decade. As revealed during today's Guerrilla Collective stream, the series is coming back with a new sequel by Digital Eclipse, the team behind this year's Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story.

Read more
3 Days of Play PS Plus games to try this weekend (June 7-9)
Key art for Streets of Rage 4.

June 2024 is shaping up to be a pretty great month for PlayStation players. Not only are we coming off an entertaining State of Play showcase, but a new Days of Play initiative surrounding all the video game showcases this month is bringing a lot of new PS Plus additions with it. Many of those games hit PS Plus this week, and three in particular stand out to us.

For owners of Sony's oft-neglected PlayStation VR2, the first game is one of its rare exclusives that take full advantage of the headset's eye-tracking by seeing how often players blink. The next is a new PS Plus Essential game that's a revival of Sega's classic beat-'em-up series for the modern gaming era. Finally, the last title is an atmospheric and eerie fishing game that should entice fans of Lovecraftian horror.
Before Your Eyes

Read more
3 first-party Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (June 7-9)
Gears 5 Kait Hero Close Up

Microsoft will hold an Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct. this Sunday. These shows will provide a much better idea of what to expect from Xbox over the course of the next year or two. That's really needed right now, as Microsoft has struggled to keep online discussions around Xbox positive as it went multiplatform with some games, laid off thousands of developers, and outright shut down the developers of Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall. Based on leaks and my personal expectations for the showcase, there are three games you can play on Xbox Game Pass this weekend to prepare for the event.

The first is the latest first-person shooter in a long-running series by id Software that might be getting a medieval-set spinoff. After that, we have the fifth entry in a sci-fi Xbox series that still looks fantastic on Xbox Series X/S even though it came out in 2019. Finally, you can prepare for Avowed with the latest RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, a satirical sci-fi game where player choice is critical.
Doom Eternal

Read more