Jagged Alliance 3, the sequel to one of the most hardcore turn-based strategy RPGs ever, has finally announced its official release date. Soon, Steam players will be able to try out this new title for the first time after waiting almost 20 years for the game to be released.
The sequel to the 1999’s Jagged Alliance 2 was originally announced back in 2004. It was the start of a long series of failures in releasing the awaited title. Initially, the game would be developed by the Russian developer MiST Land South. However, Strategy First, the company that actually owned the IP, decided to develop it internally in the following year, changing its mind again in 2006, outsourcing it once more, and eventually canceling the game. The IP changed hands a few times until THC Nordic finally got it in 2015 and announced the current version of Jagged Alliance 3, which has been in development for quite a while now.
Now, the almost mythical Jagged Alliance 3 finally got a release date: July 14, 2023. The strategy game is like XCOM, but with an important twist, as players won’t be able to see their hit percentages before attacking. This makes for more unpredictable gameplay as it ramps up uncertainty. According to the game’s Steam page, Jagged Alliance 3 will have a huge cast of over 40 mercenaries that will engage in rich, tactical turn-based combat in the land of Grand Chien, a country full of natural resources and political divides. These mercenaries can be customized, and the player will be able to control several territories, defending their land against enemies and deciding the fate of the nation via tactical battles.
With important developers behind XCOM leaving Firaxis, such as Jake Solomon and Steve Martin, it’s a safe bet that the company won’t make XCOM 3 soon. So, gamers who are disappointed by how long they will need to wait for the sequel will probably have a good, if difficult, time playing Jagged Alliance 3.
Overall, 2023 is a pretty good year to play RPGs based on old-school franchises. Not only will Jagged Alliance 3 be out soon, but also the eagerly anticipated Baldur’s Gate 3 is set to debut in August, too. Announced back in 2019, the sequel to one of the most famous computer RPGs ever is currently being developed by Larian Studios, the devs behind the famous Divinity: Original Sin 2, and it’s already one of the most awaited games of the year.
Jagged Alliance 3 will be out for PC on July 14.
Source: Steam