It has been over four years since the release of the last Alien game,Alien: Isolation, and fans of the franchise have been waiting patiently for a sequel of theterrifying game. Recently, IP holder 20th Century Fox has filed for a trademark forAlien: Blackout, which apparently is geared towards a video game product.
There are not a lot of details surroundingAlien: Blackoutyet, but what we know from a Creative Assembly job listing is that studio is busy working on a tactical first-person shooter game. This job listing therefore suggests that if Creative Assembly is indeed working onAlien: Blackout,it could be a first-person shooter. This would be a major departure fromAlien: Isolation, which favored stealth as players tried to avoid gruesome death by Xenomorph.
If Creative Assembly is not working onAlien: Blackout, thenAlien: Blackoutcould very well be the Alien shooter gameannounced in early 2018to be in development at Cold Iron Studios, founded by former Cryptic developers. This is more likely, as Cold Iron Studios has recently been purchased by FoxNext. Cold Iron is primarily staffed by former Cryptic Studios developers, and is also home to people who have worked onBorderlands,BioShock Infinite, andDoom. If this is the case, given that the former Cryptic Studios developers are working on the game, a heavy online element also seems likely inAlien: Blackout.
Either way, the timing suggests a possible reveal at the upcomingThe Game Awards 2018, hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 6th. A departure fromAlien: Isolationmay be good for the series, as many felt that it was not as exciting as it could have been due to it’s emphasis on stealth, but many also feel that turning the new Alien game into a shooter is also not the best route for the series to follow.
