14 DAY TRIAL // A lot of long-term fans of the XCOM idea were glad to hear that 2K Games was working with developer Firaxis to create a strategy and turn-based reimagining of the old game, set to arrive during 2012.
And the leader of the Firaxis development team believes that the game will be designed so that it attracts traditional strategy gamers. However, it also appeals to those who like role playing and those who have a general interest in alien invasions.
Sid Meier, who is a legend when it comes to strategy game development, tells GameInformer that “In our dreams we pull in strategy game players, we pull in action players, we pull in RPG players. There are cool elements of all those gaming styles in XCOM.”
He adds, “They’re mixed together in an interesting brew where you get some RPG, you get some strategy, you get some action. Our goal would be to really appeal to all those players, and to introduce them maybe to some gaming that they haven’t played before. An action gamer might play the game for the action part and think, well strategy is pretty fun too.”
Meier says that the team working on the strategy XCOM is not focused on creating an experience that rigidly conforms to a genre but that tries to approach the concept of fighting an alien invasion from a number of different angles.
Firaxis has already revealed some information on the XCOM remake, saying that it will still focus on both turn-based tactical engagements and on an overall strategy layer, complete with diplomacy, research, production and recruitment.
The developers also say that the game will be launched on home consoles as well, but that PC players will get access to a version with better User Interface and more options when it comes to tactics.
The game is set to be released during the fall of 2012 and a shooter-based XCOM has been delayed into 2013.