Few action movies have as revered a place in science fiction and movie history as Aliens, so it’s no surprise that the developers behind the latest videogame incarnation would want to get it right. According to a post on NeoGAF, the head of Gearbox Software Randy Pitchford has stated in the latest issue of EGM that the long-awaited Aliens: Colonial Marines has been delayed, and won’t be seeing the light of day in 2011.
The news won’t come as a shock to anyone who’s been keeping up to date on the spotty project. After the game was initally abandoned, the rights to the property made their way through a number of corporate mergers and acquisitions until finally finding a home with Gearbox. We previously speculated that the game would be taking a back seat at Gearbox, and this only confirms it.
The publisher clearly has an interest in projects that have had a difficult time making their way to stores, as Gearbox stunned the crowds at PAX when they showed up not just to announce that they were the new owners of the Duke Nukem name, but that the game was coming in 2011.
Pitchford made some strong promises about the dedication and quality of Duke Nukem Forever, so it’s not surprising to find that the development team may have a little too much on their plate to get around to Colonial Marines.
Games are delayed for a variety of reasons, so there’s no need for fans to give up hope or panic just yet, as the studio is definitely moving in the right direction for the science fiction FPS. Duke’s alien-filled shooter is certainly closer to an Aliens property than Borderlands‘ RPG, so hopefully when development wraps on Nukem’s next-gen adventure – if ever – the team will be ready to take on Colonial Marines.
There is certainly no shortage of science fiction FPS’s, and with Bulletstorm‘s foul-mouthed humor approaching quickly, Gearbox will need to bring some very new and interesting ideas to the table if they plan on living up to the promise of these franchises. Aliens is beloved by many die-hard action fans who’ve been let down in the past, so the name of the game itself puts a lot of pressure to deliver a quality product.
The pressure on the studio can’t be understated. While Duke Nukem Forever may have become somewhat of a laughing stock in the gaming community, Gearbox has big plans for the shade-wearing smart-mouth, and will need to deliver an incredibly promising debut if they want them to succeed.
The team’s focus on Duke means that we won’t be seeing an Aliens game until 2012 at the earliest, but there is a distinct possibility that with the ongoing success of Borderlands, Colonial Marines might quietly return to the back burner. We can still hope for the best, and keep in mind that any success is a good sign for Gearbox’s other titles.
We’ll keep you updated on any more news, but for now it seems that Aliens: Colonial Marines has a long way to go until it’s release in 2012 at the earliest.
Source: NeoGAF
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i think they’re just giving themselves a break for all the work they’ve done in the past yr or so. it makes perfect sense – finish/release duke (its coming out in a few months) > start planning for aliens (at least 2-3 month (if they haven’t already started))> start work on the visuals,engine etc for aliens (1 yr… assuming they’ve already planned everything and have started production) > finalise/announce release date for aliens (usually 2 or so months before initial testing is complete).
so theoretically they should release aliens around the middle of next year… assuming they’ve started working on it (brainstorming, completing initial designs etc)..
i really look forward to duke, it will show gamers just exactly what gearbox is capable of.
I hope its just a temporary thing. I’ve been waiting for this game ever since it was announced on PS2. Its become my own personal Duke Nukem Forever.
Having said that, if Duke Nukem sells well, a sequel probably become more of a priority for Gearbox, same as Borderlands 2. After the disappointing Aliens vs Predator last year (I know, a different company made it, but its still has publicly besmirched the brand), Colonial Marines will probably be hiding in the shadows for some time to come.
And whatever happened to that Aliens MMORPG? Delayed till further notice? As big a fan as I am of all things Aliens, I’d definitely subscribe if it ever came out.
Here’s to wishing for Colonial Marines to come out soon, in all its anticipated awesomeness. (Apologies for the length of the post. Just like Trekkies get all geeky about Star Trek, and…whatever crazy Star Wars fans call themselves, I am like that for Aliens)
i highly doubt they’ll prioritise duke2 and borderlands 2 for this, if they dont get it out soon then they will lose the ‘fan base’ they have waiting for it and it will cost them alot of money. remember how no one knew anything about the new duke until a sudden announcement, well i think something similar is going to happen at game conventions this yr – they’ll show a preview of the engine/game in progress and give people a rough estimate as to when it’s going to be released for retail.
just have faith
cant believe this has been delayed again how hard can it be online 4 player co-op check pulse rifles and smartguns check aliens check based on the aliens movie check this will not fail as far as avp goes if rebellion were allowed more time on it i believe they could sort it all out but no more avp patches or dlc for consoles and i thought that avp would keep me busy untill a.cm arrived its anoying that a game that was announced in 2006 is still in developement and delayed again nnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooo.so now avp support on consoles was canned by sega what do we do now.im hating this so much as ive had it pre orderd ever scince 2008.im getting to the point where im thinking of canning the pre order and just forgetting all about this rubbish
you guys should update this article. randy pitchford has denied that the game got delayed.