FoxNext has announced that a new game in the Alien franchise is being developed with their recently acquired Cold Iron Studios. The addition of the studio would allow FoxNext to develop new titles in the Aliens franchise in-house, as they hope to have less reliance "on external partners as it did for the critically acclaimed Alien: Isolation, developed by Sega studio Creative Assembly."
The game is slated to be a "shooter for the PC and consoles", with no confirmation if it will have any connection with any other game in the Alien franchise. This is a departure from the survival horror style of the critically acclaimed Alien: Isolation. Whether the shooter will be in third-person, or first-person like the more infamous Aliens: Colonial Marines, is currently unconfirmed.
Cold Iron Studios was founded in 2015 by a trio of veteran developers from Cryptic Studios. The industry veterans have years of experience between them in developing MMOs, such as City of Heroes, and Neverwinter. Last year, they announced they were "working hard on a AAA online...and original sci-fi game" for the PC and consoles. There is no confirmation if the studio's original project has been put on-hold, concurrently developed, or if resources will be diverted to FoxNext's new Alien project instead.
FoxNext is a fairly new division of Twentieth Century Fox Film that was formed last year. The division's focus is on creating video gaming, theme park, and virtual reality productions. They also acquired Aftershock last year, a company formed from the remaining assets and infrastructure of Kabam Studios. Aftershock is currently developing Marvel Strike Force, an iOS/Android mobile game slated for release early this year.
FoxNext sees the PC and console markets as "immersive platforms that will allow us to transport users into their favorite worlds" and hopes that it will be able to expand its catalog of games beyond the mobile market with its acquisition of Cold Iron Studios and development of a new Alien shooter.
Cold Iron Studios are currently looking for potential applicants for several open positions at their studio, such as a 'Console Software Engineer' and various 'Artists'. The available positions may expand as they move forward with development of the Alien Shooter.
What do you think of the potential new Alien game? Do you prefer a survival horror like Alien: Isolation, or another attempt to create an Aliens shooter? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
