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

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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.

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“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.

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Be faithful

This one seems like it should go without saying, but it's something a lot of films and TV shows based on games don't get right. Even successful ones like the Sonic the Hedgehog films seem to feel a bit ashamed of the source material when they bring video game characters into the "real world." The Last of Us series works masterfully because it plays into the strengths of the source material, adapting an already critically acclaimed story accurately and respectfully. As a result, a great story is still great.
HBO's The Last of Us isn't a direct 1:1 adaptation (more on that later), but it's still unmistakably a TV version of the video game's story and even gameplay in some segments. That faithfulness shows respect for the game and is more likely to get fans on board with the creation and any potential deviations it might make. Sadly, many video game adaptations seem like they feel embarrassed of the source material, which shows in the quality of the final product and the fan reception to it.
Improve upon the source material

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