Creative Assembly has announced that a sequel to its 2014 survival horror game Alien: Isolation is now in early development. The announcement was made as the original game celebrates its 10th anniversary.
"When we started developing Alien: Isolation, we had one guiding principle: to create a truly authentic experience that went back to the roots of the Alien franchise - a new story capturing the atmosphere and terror of the original 1979 movie masterpiece," said creative director Al Hope in a statement, adding, "It's been nothing short of incredible to witness your passion for the game over the years and see it reach so many players around the world."
Alien: Isolation isn't just inspired by Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic, it serves as a sequel. Set 15 years after the original 1979 film, the story follows engineer Amanda Ripley (voiced by Andrea Deck) as she investigates the disappearance of her mother, Ellen Ripley, aboard the space station Sevastopol which has fallen into disarray due to a deadly alien on the loose.
While there have been numerous games inspired by the Alien movies released in the past, many of them focus on the action aspects of the franchise. Alien: Isolation was unique in that it emphasized stealth and survival horror gameplay as players must avoid and outsmart the perfect organism. Players have tools such as a motion tracker and flamethrower at their disposal, but they act more as temporary deterrents and basic survival tools since you can't really kill the alien.
Alien: Isolation received generally positive reviews and was the recipient of several year-end rewards, many of them for its audio achievements. The game was praised for its effort to create a genuine experience that captures the spirit of the film franchise.
Alien: Isolation reportedly sold 2.1 million copies, doubling the sales of Alien: Colonial Marines. However, the game is said to have failed to meet SEGA's expectations during a weak year for the publisher. Apparently though, there was enough passion from the fanbase to greenlight a sequel — even if it comes 10 years after the original game's release.
"Today, I'm delighted to confirm, on behalf of the team, that a sequel to Alien: Isolation is in early development," Hope announced. "We look forward to sharing more details with you when we're ready."
With the game only in early development, it may be quite a while until we see or hear anything more official. For those who never played the original, it's available for less than $10 on PC (Steam), $29.99 on PlayStation, and $39.99 on Xbox.