2K Games Denies Rumors of Big XCOM Changes

[Logan Westbrook]

2K Games Denies Rumors of Big XCOM Changes

One of 2K Marin's studio heads has quit, but 2K says not to worry about it.

The news that Martin Slater had resigned as head of the Australian branch of Bioshock 2 developer 2K Marin, stirred up rumors that the studio's next project, the sci-fi shooter XCOM, had undergone some significant in the last year. But now, 2K Games has moved to deny these rumors, saying that it's business as usual.

In a statement, 2K confirmed that Slater no longer worked for 2K Marin. However, it said that while it wasn't unheard for development teams to change and evolve over time, there was no truth to the suggestion that 2K Marin had changed the way it was working on XCOM. 2K said that the game was a joint production between the US and Australian branches of 2K Marin, overseen by creative director Jonathan Pelling, and that Slater's departure hadn't changed that.

Unfortunately, there's likely to have been quite a few people - mainly old time X-Com fans - who had been hoping the rumors were true, as the updated game is pretty significant departure from the original. Even for people new to XCOM, the trailer from last year's E3 was hardly awe-inspiring, and while the game is almost certainly more impressive now than it was then, it's really got its work cut out for it.

Source: Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/28/2k-australia-studio-head-resigns-in-the-middle-of-xcom-2k-respo/]




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[Woodsey]

I still don't get why they're using the name XCOM.

The name means nothing to a lot of people (myself included), and those it does mean something to are expecting something entirely different.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

It's not X-Com. Never was. They're just using the licence for recogition purposes to sell their tawdry little product that couldn't sell on its own merits.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

It's not X-Com. Never was. They're just using the licence for recogition purposes to sell their tawdry little product that couldn't sell on its own merits.

Chances are they named it that because it's gonna be a reboot of the series.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Even ignoring the obvious name-exploitation, I'm still not convinced that the new X-COM game will stand on its own merits.

And of course, since these sorts of titles are "Design-by-committee" changes in upper management won't really effect anything barring personal insanity leading to mismanagement ("Everyone stop doing what you're doing and attend a meeting where we discuss the texture of clams! Be ready in 10 minutes! GO!")

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

It's not X-Com. Never was. They're just using the licence for recogition purposes to sell their tawdry little product that couldn't sell on its own merits.

Chances are they named it that because it's gonna be a reboot of the series.

Like the rebooted Mission Impossible to feature nothing from the old series apart from the exploding messages?

I've said it before. Find me a single reboot that's a patch on the original.

 

[theultimateend]

My interest in this game is so directly inverse from my actual interest in XCOM that I think I may have finally found a situation where you literally take my feelings of one thing, multiple them by -1, and have the value for my feelings of the other thing perfectly.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Good, it is not changing. The game as I heard about it already sounded great, and I thought that the E3 trailer made the game look great as well. I was really looking forward to it in the original, planned state. Here's hoping it is good!

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

It's not X-Com. Never was. They're just using the licence for recogition purposes to sell their tawdry little product that couldn't sell on its own merits.

Chances are they named it that because it's gonna be a reboot of the series.

Like the rebooted Mission Impossible to feature nothing from the old series apart from the exploding messages?

I've said it before. Find me a single reboot that's a patch on the original.

You can't find a reboot that's just a patch on the original. The definition of a reboot is to disregard previous storylines in the continuity. So your example of the rebooted MI is essentially by definition a reboot. You're thinking of remakes.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

So your example of the rebooted MI is essentially by definition a reboot.

Huh?

 

[moretimethansense]

It's not X-Com. Never was. They're just using the licence for recogition purposes to sell their tawdry little product that couldn't sell on its own merits.

Chances are they named it that because it's gonna be a reboot of the series.

Like the rebooted Mission Impossible to feature nothing from the old series apart from the exploding messages?

I've said it before. Find me a single reboot that's a patch on the original.

The Dark Knight trilogy?

At any rate I'm with him, why the fuck are they doing this?
The only reason I can think of is they either hate the game with a passion or they feel the same about its fans.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Reboots are just cashing in on nostalgia. I'd rather have a new game that takes does justice to original concepts. It's not like UFO was branded as a reboot of Rebelstar or Laser Squad.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

The Dark Knight trilogy?

Loathe and detest Miller.

 

[moretimethansense]

The Dark Knight trilogy?

Loathe and detest Miller.

Was talking about the Nolan films actually.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

Well if it's not changing and it's still another generic FPS. Then i'm not changing my opinion either!

And that sums up my attitude to the new supposed "max payne" game as well!

 

[teh_gunslinger]

It's not X-Com. Never was. They're just using the licence for recogition purposes to sell their tawdry little product that couldn't sell on its own merits.

Chances are they named it that because it's gonna be a reboot of the series.

Like the rebooted Mission Impossible to feature nothing from the old series apart from the exploding messages?

I've said it before. Find me a single reboot that's a patch on the original.

Not a game, but I do like the new Battlestar Galactica series more than the old one.

But as far as XCOM goes, it's not an X-Com game by any means. It's a sad cash grab.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

The Dark Knight trilogy?

Loathe and detest Miller.

Was talking about the Nolan films actually.

Begins was awful - ADHD directing, Dark Knight - I'm waiting for the fury to die down before I watch it.

They've just lost the idea of Batman, and turned him into ANOTHER everyman-fighting-for-his-way-in-an-unfair-world. Bruce Wayne is just a secret identity for Batman.

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

I still don't get why they're using the name XCOM.

The name means nothing to a lot of people (myself included), and those it does mean something to are expecting something entirely different.

yup that's how i feel too; it's like a hybrid semi-version of game, since there's no construction/management of your base, you don't get to recruit as many troopers as you want, or choose what to research, or even choose where to go.

if you want a good fix check out UFO: Alien Invasion its a freegame very similar to XCOM and it has some good stuff on it's own.

 

[moretimethansense]

The Dark Knight trilogy?

Loathe and detest Miller.

Was talking about the Nolan films actually.

Begins was awful - ADHD directing, Dark Knight - I'm waiting for the fury to die down before I watch it.

They've just lost the idea of Batman, and turned him into ANOTHER everyman-fighting-for-his-way-in-an-unfair-world. Bruce Wayne is just a secret identity for Batman.

Well I'll agree that Brucie doesn't get the kind of love that he should and that begins wasn't amazing, Dark knight is much better, if only because of Heath Ledger, even if you hate the rest of the film it's hhard to dislike Ledgers Joker.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Changing from isometric to first-person perspective isn't necessarily a disaster; I liked Fallout 3, for instance, and despite the new engine's bugginess that re-do gained critical and commercial acclaim. It's not even that a change from turn-based to real-time is necessarily bad. The problem I see with XCOM is that it's both of the above and an entirely new setting. There is literally no continuity between the X-Com titles of old and the "reboot" other than the title.

The Battlestar Galactica reboot was a dramatic change from its progenetor, but at least it still kept elements of the setting (twelve colonies, rag-tag fugitive fleet, seeking Earth, etc) while changing the presentation (names, settings, the origin of the Cylons, etc) to better suit modern tastes.

XCOM, though, is as drastic a change as if they'd taken Galactica and set its reboot in 1940's Palestine.

Maybe this'll be a good game, but unless there's a bunch of stuff we haven't seen with a lot more ties to the originals it's not really an X-Com title. It's a pity that's not changing.

-- Steve