Step into the Shoes of the Velvet Assassin

World War II again. The theme that lets innumerable publishers put out innumerable games of dubious quality. But also, the setting that spawned some revolutionary games, like the Call of Duty series or Company of Heroes. Even if you think that all WWII subjects have been exploited by now, some studios managed to find new niches to explore. One such niche is spy activity in the war against Nazi Germany.

Recently, WWII stealth shooter Sabotage got a name chance to Velvet Assassin. Developer Replay Studios and publisher Gamecock Media (no, seriously, they chose that name and aren't changing it) have been working on the title for some time and thought the new name would better reflect the actual focus of the game. Velvet Assassin tells the story of a woman spy, Violette Summer, that has a proficiency in foreign languages and gets a job at Special Operations Executive, the British intelligence gathering agency of the war. The main characters is based on real spy Violette Szabo and her exploits. .
The game focuses on stealth action, rather than all out gunplay, and uses a variety of real locations and objectives to deliver a brutal depiction of life as a spy during the war. Missions will include assassination, sabotage and intelligence gathering. There's also talk of some very dark and powerful moments in the game, when the lead character gets captured and tortured before she manages to escape.

The name change came as both developer and publisher considered what made the title unique and special. "Rather than a trite, overused, and generic working title like Sabotage, Velvet Assassin captures the heart of what we're trying to accomplish," said Sascha Jungnickel, Creative Director at Replay Studios. With the game scheduled for release somewhere in the fall of 2008, let's hope the new name can get some new energy into the development team as well.