It's official: 2K Marin's XCOM FPS has now been retooled into a tactical third person shooter titled The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. We'd heard rumors that the divisive game was undergoing some significant retooling earlier this week, and now we know (partially) just how much the game is changed.

In The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, players will take on the role of special agent William Carter, who leads his "squad of special agents in the high-stakes secret war for humanity's survival." 2K Marin also released a brief teaser trailer for the game, but unfortunately the footage doesn't feature any close looks at gameplay.

That being said, it's safe to assume that 2K is borrowing from XCOM: Enemy Unknown's lead, and crafting a tactical shooter that gives players more direct control of their squad. The screenshots above give some sense of how enemy encounters will play out, but only at-a-glance. No in-game footage is available yet.

Even so, gamers shouldn't be surprised if The Bureau plays almost like a third person version of Enemy Unknown, albeit with active instead of turn-based combat. Firaxis' title was an outright hit with fans and non-fans alike, and won its fair share of Game of the Year awards.

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It should also be mentioned that, like in Enemy Unknown, once a player loses a squad mate in battle they are gone for good. This will be very significant because 2K claims Carter's fellow Bureau members will factor into the story.

Unfortunately, that story is one of the game's more closely guarded secrets. 2K released a new trailer — an extension of the 'What Happened in '62' trailer — alongside their announcement, but it isn't particularly revelatory.

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Even though The Bureau has been in development for several years now, and has undergone several evolutions, players won't have to wait much longer to see the game in action. As 2K has announced, the game will launch on August 20th for current gen platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC).

What do you think of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified? Has 2K Marin evolved the game into something a little more palatable for fans?

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified releases August 20, 2013 for the Xbox 360, PC, and PS3.