Aliens to spawn on next-gen systems
New title based on classic sci-fi horror franchise from Sega and 20th Century Fox enters incubation; final product expected to burst forth in 2009.
By Emma Boyes, Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot UK
Hot on the heels of Scarface: The World Is Yours, The Godfather, and Reservoir Dogs, another old movie license has been dusted off to be turned into a game. The latest dormant property to see a gaming revival is the Alien series of sci-fi horror films. Sega and 20th Century Fox today announced that they would be bringing the acid-blooded extraterrestrials back to the world of console gaming.
Fans of the series can expect to see it adapted a number of ways, as the companies have confirmed that several Alien games--including a first-person shooter and a role-playing game--are currently in preproduction, with the first game scheduled to be released in 2009. The games will be for currently undisclosed "next-generation gaming systems."
The first Alien film came out in 1979, starring Sigourney Weaver as Lieutenant Ripley of the commercial spaceship Nostromo, which intercepts a distress call from a nearby planet. While investigating the planet, one of the crew becomes impregnated by an alien. Three sequels were made from the original, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection. The franchise has also yielded a crossover spin-off in Alien Vs. Predator.
This is not the first time either company has adapted the sci-fi series for gaming. In 1993, Sega released the arcade game Alien 3: The Gun, while the Fox Interactive brand scored a hit with the PC first-person shooting series Alien Versus Predator. Other publishers to tackle the franchise in interactive form include Electronic Arts (Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction for PlayStation 2), Konami (Aliens for the arcade), Capcom (Alien Vs. Predator for the arcade), and the former incarnation of Acclaim (Alien Trilogy and Alien 3 for multiple platforms).
This is the second announcement of a Sega-made movie adaptation in as many months. In November, the publisher confirmed it had signed a deal for next-gen games based on Marvel's upcoming Iron Man film. The company is also making a next-gen game based on another, still unannounced, Marvel superhero license.
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