Confirming that the recent string of viral videos are in fact XCOM related, 2K Marin has announced that they will be re-unveiling their XCOM “squad-based tactical shooter” in the “coming days.” The post on the developer’s website doesn’t provide a specific date for the reveal, but the latest teaser video hints that it could happen tomorrow (April 26th).
The new viral video (embedded below) is set in 1962 and centers around a young boy who suddenly stops riding his bike to stare at some unknown off-screen object — presumably an alien spaceship. While the actual live-action footage provides no real information, the words “APR 26” and “2K” can been seen on the right-hand side of the screen at the 0:15 mark.
XCOM was originally announced in 2010 with a March 2012 release date but was later delayed into Take-Two’s fiscal year 2013 (between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013). In May 2012 the publisher announced another delay for the shooter, and moved it to an unspecific “fiscal 2014″ launch date — sometime before March 31, 2014. The last official statement on XCOM came from Take-Two’s earnings call on February 5, 2013. At that time the company re-confirmed the “fiscal 2014″ release window, noting that 2K Marin was still making progress on the title.
2K Marin’s announcement this week of the upcoming reveal notes that “the game has undergone an evolution” since it was debuted at E3 2011. Crediting Firaxis for reigniting the franchise with XCOM: Enemy Unknown last year, 2K Marin stated that they “feel that the time is right to deliver a new experience within the world of XCOM.”
Exactly how the XCOM tactical shooter differs from what was shown in 2011 is unknown, however, the developer promises that they have “refined their vision, and as a result the game has evolved into a high-stakes narrative experience imbued with core XCOM concepts.”
The first screenshot of the revamped XCOM game is posted above, and we will have all the details for you when 2K Marin re-debuts the game tomorrow.
