XCOM: Enemy Unknown returns to strategy genre, thanks to Firaxis

by Ben Gilbert on Jan 5th 2012 11:25AM

Were you thoroughly enraged when 2K Games announced intentions to first-person shooter-ize your favorite strategy game series, XCOM? Here's some potentially good (and calming) news: Civilization developer Firaxis Games is currently working on another totally new XCOM game, called XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Unlike 2K Marin's game (simply called XCOM), this one falls under the strategy genre that popularized the franchise to begin with.

Despite the strategy angle, the game is planned for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC for this fall. More info will be revealed in this month's issue of Game Informer, per the cover reveal. We'd also like to bet right now that the Firaxis title arrives before the 2K Marin one. It's a race!

It's worth noting that the first XCOM was subtitled "Enemy Unknown," though no indication is given that it's a remake of the original title. We've reached out to Firaxis and 2K all the same, but for now we're presuming it's little more than a nod to the original title.

Source: Game Informer

Tags: 2k-games, firaxis, firaxis-games, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, strategy, xbox, xcom-enemy-unknown

Reader Comments (68)

Turn-based erection initialized.

@Pure Black World Tendency

I know that feel, bro. I just recently got into XCOM via the yogscast livestreams and I cannot believe I have missed this series for the 3 years I've used Steam.

@Pure Black World Tendency

Ach du liebe!!! I don't believe this!!! Just yesterday I was writing about this very thing on my blog, and one day later BLAMO!!! My wish came true. And best still, it's being made by Firaxis!! Oh yeah, hope is not lost for this series just yet. https://tachyoniccargo.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/rebooted/

Thank you, thank you, thank you, 2K for listening to the fans!!! You won't regret this.

@Pure Black World Tendency

Just save some Time Units for a Snap Shot.

@Pure Black World Tendency

78% accuracy, 100 [TU] consumed

Crap, only 2 [TU] left... and girlfriend will walk in next turn!

Uses remaining 2[TU] to rotate slightly away from door...

OMG!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS ABOUT TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES! Look Firaxis, if anyone can do this it's you. All you need to do is take the original XCOM: Enemy Unknown, make it high resolution, hd textures with a physics engine and let it loose into the wild. THAT'S ALL I WANT. Please make this happen.

@Hexidecimal Those were my thoughts. If anyone can pull it off its Firaxis... I hope.

So its a race huh... To a technology victory?

@Hexidecimal

oh look a gamer in an internet blog telling developers how to go about making a game, geee you should become some sort of advisor.

reskining an old game because you can't seem to take off those nostalgia glasses isn't the best advice. i hope they do nothing that you mentioned and actually make a new XCOM RTS game that feels new and refreshing.

@PR0F3TA
Oh look a douchebag responding to a fan by being a douchebag, you should become some sort of... I don't know... thing trapped in a housefire

@PR0F3TA

Jesus Christ, don't make it an RTS. I agree with your comment for the most part but some of us *like* turn-based games...

@PR0F3TA RTS? Have you ever even played XCOM? It was a turn based strategy game with a base building element. There have been countless attempts to recreate the game from various different publisher, and none of them have been very good.

Looking forward to an update version of a classic game done by a successful developer means I'm wearing nostalgia glasses, so be it. XCOM was a great game and deserves an awesome modern update true to its original material. Seeing as you clearly know nothing about the source material, you are cordially invited to die in a fire. Have fun trolling comment sections of game blogs you sad, miserable person.

@PR0F3TA
Man, was that really necessary? Something else must be bothering you to react that strongly to such an innocent remark. I for one would like it to remain turn-based, with a new engine, weapons, technology, etc.

@Kevadu

It's Firaxis. They won't make it an RTS.

@PR0F3TA

But he's (Hexidecimal) RIIIIIGHT, oh so RIGHT!

@PR0F3TA RTS? Jesus Christ, how clueless can you be?

Wow, talk about uninspired character design...

@(Unverified) I've rolled my eyes at your comments way too much over the past few months. How about you stop bitching and become a game developer and change the world?

@Janitor That's impossible, this is my first comment on this site in years.

@Janitor
But he/she does have a point.

Big gun.
Shaved head.
Handsome in an ugly way.
Deep set eyes.
Big armour.

You could now apply that to most games this gen has thought we wanted, and -you- bought. (But not me)

@Janitor

You do realize that everyone with (unverified) as their name aren't the same people right?

@(Unverified) you're an idiot

@Janitor That's the best you have? Just look at the guy, there's nothing original about him... I expect better than this.

@Undulation Yo do know UFO Enemy Unknown doesn't really have a real main character, right? If the game follows the original, I'm pretty sure you can have a guy in dreadlocks there instead of the bald guy. Or a chick.

@Cafecito
Yet they will all still look the same/fall into the same stereotypes.

and there was much rejoicing.

Oh goodie...another FPS where I get to shoot aliens. Probably including a lackluster multiplayer, too...*yawn*. Modern Resistance 3: Reach? If they're going to "shooter-ize" XCOM, why not keep a good portion of the "strategy" and at least give it a Mass Effect treatment?

@Bueno88 Why don't you try looking over the article again.

@Bueno88 its a STRATEGY game...how old are you?

@Bueno88
Reading is hard!

@Bueno88
Ouch, you even missed the headline... what'd you do, glance the image and rush to post? No, really. I'm curious.

Diplomacy with aliens confirmed.

Now I'm confused X)

Hopefully, first media isn't far off. I want to see more about XCOM, too, because I think there's chance for good things from it, but X:EO is an exciting announcement for sure. Firaxis. Well, it probably couldn't be in much surer hands.

@geraldJJ32113

oh yeah?! well my friends brothers girlfriends cousin-twice-removed makes 200 bucks from unemployment. beat that!

@geraldJJ32113
my cat's boyfriend makes $67.75/hour on the desktop. Read more IN HELL WHERE YOU BELONG.

Unlike some I actually quite liked Apocalypse. Originally it was supposed to be possible to capture enemy agents just like capturing stunned aliens and use those in diplomacy and interrogation. Hoping the game expands like that on the XCom formula.

@dingoperson

Me too actually, and Apocalypse included a turn-based combat mode that could be turned on for the purists.

I didn't care for the "dimension hopping", would've preferred the good 'ol sectoids, etc.. but outside of that and the slightly cheesy character design, the game was pretty good. Nothing like collapsing half of the city chasing a ufo across the highway in your little road tank.

Going to look forward to watching some new recruit die horribly, but in HD!

now do the same with Syndicate and while there at it a new Railroad Tycoon will be fun.

@Ben79 I really wish a console Sim City would be released sometime soon.

Please be good-please be good-please be good...

The genera could really use a renaissance on consoles and in general. Though I know something like this wont do COD numbers.

Firaxis? X-Com strategy title? I think I'm going to cry tears of joy! Just hope this isn't just some small tie-in title to the FPS X-Com.

I'm more (cautiously) optimistic about this than I have been about an XCOM game in a loooong time.

I hope the Syndicate people take note and release a Syndicate that's true to the original two games!

Tbh this game sucks - Mr Rufkahr Cool Points

Tbh this game sucks

Oh joy. Let's fuel the "fans" who want their precious nostalgia to remain suspended in stasis, forever, reskinning the same game over and over and over and over.

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XCOM: Enemy Unknown returns to strategy genre, thanks to Firaxis

Reader Comments (68)

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:32AM Pure Black World Tendency said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:23PM Osmium said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:26PM Tachyonic Cargo said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 1:39PM RudyHuxtable said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 2:34PM Chiren said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:34AM Chojin said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:37AM Hexidecimal said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:47AM urgan said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:51AM Doctor Who said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:09PM PR0F3TA said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:23PM darkinchworm said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:32PM Kevadu said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:46PM Hexidecimal said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 1:31PM belasco said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 1:39PM Lucky The Fox said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 2:36PM Chiren said

Posted: Jan 6th 2012 2:02AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:37AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:45AM Janitor said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:55AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:00PM Undulation said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:04PM Sho Minamimoto said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:22PM Janitor said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 1:17PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 3:28PM Cafecito said

Posted: Jan 6th 2012 9:36AM Undulation said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:40AM mikeymilkshake said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:41AM Bueno88 said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:44AM baddates77 said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:46AM Janitor said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:01PM Duke said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:25PM darkinchworm said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 11:55AM Muu said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:04PM SilverPR said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:06PM Allenomura said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:11PM PR0F3TA said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:14PM Ebok007 said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:21PM dingoperson said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 2:39PM Chiren said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:21PM dingoperson said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:23PM Ramen of Doom said

Posted: Jan 5th 2012 12:24PM Ben79 said

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