Alien Next-Gen Bound
SEGA and Fox are taking their time, but PS3 Alien games are coming.
Published: December 11, 2006
Exclusives are becoming the order of the day in this industry. Console manufacturers pay out the ass for a game to come to their system first (and, in increasingly rare deals, only to their system), game developers and publishers pay hundreds of millions to lock down sports licenses and gamers... well, we don't really give a crap where it shows up or who makes it as long as it's good. SEGA has been on a revitalizing tear these days, buying up development houses and inking deals to move them away from being the house that Sonic built, and more toward an original IP powerhouse.
Hearing that they've locked down the exclusive rights to the Alien franchise, though, that's rather interesting. With a few solid exceptions, the franchise hasn't translated well into video game form (some would add that the series as a whole has been headed downhill since the second movie, which may explain things), but SEGA is taking their time with making the games; the first Alien game (both an Action RPG and a first-person shooter are planned) won't hit next-gen consoles until 20-frickin'-09.
"As a direct result of Fox's efforts over the past 27 years, Alien has become one of the most recognized franchises in the motion picture industry," fluffed Simon Jeffery, SEGA of America's President and COO. "SEGA will utilize the power of next-gen systems to blend the time-honored story with leading edge design technology to deliver a riveting and suspenseful gameplay experience."
"Alien is one of those special franchises that has continued to thrive in licensing long after it has left theaters. The L & M [Licensing and Merchandising] program has been very successful over the years because we have partnered with the best companies in each category and created appealing products that become must-haves for the extremely loyal Alien fans." added Fox L&M EVP Elie Dekel. "We look forward to partnering with SEGA, a known leader in the gaming industry, to expand the program to the next generation gaming systems and bring the franchise to life with the newest technology and gameplay."
That SEGA is waiting so long to push the next-gen versions of the game out speaks volumes about their willingness to not underestimate the development cycle to make a good game, and it's a perfect example of how much time next-gen development will take. We're crossing our fingers that the game will be as awesome as those first couple movies were.
Hearing that they've locked down the exclusive rights to the Alien franchise, though, that's rather interesting. With a few solid exceptions, the franchise hasn't translated well into video game form (some would add that the series as a whole has been headed downhill since the second movie, which may explain things), but SEGA is taking their time with making the games; the first Alien game (both an Action RPG and a first-person shooter are planned) won't hit next-gen consoles until 20-frickin'-09.
"As a direct result of Fox's efforts over the past 27 years, Alien has become one of the most recognized franchises in the motion picture industry," fluffed Simon Jeffery, SEGA of America's President and COO. "SEGA will utilize the power of next-gen systems to blend the time-honored story with leading edge design technology to deliver a riveting and suspenseful gameplay experience."
"Alien is one of those special franchises that has continued to thrive in licensing long after it has left theaters. The L & M [Licensing and Merchandising] program has been very successful over the years because we have partnered with the best companies in each category and created appealing products that become must-haves for the extremely loyal Alien fans." added Fox L&M EVP Elie Dekel. "We look forward to partnering with SEGA, a known leader in the gaming industry, to expand the program to the next generation gaming systems and bring the franchise to life with the newest technology and gameplay."
That SEGA is waiting so long to push the next-gen versions of the game out speaks volumes about their willingness to not underestimate the development cycle to make a good game, and it's a perfect example of how much time next-gen development will take. We're crossing our fingers that the game will be as awesome as those first couple movies were.
