XCOM is coming to current generation platforms, but not in the way you once knew it. 2K Games‘ XCOM reboot, releasing in March for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, is a first-person shooter with strategy elements. Speaking to MCV, 2K boss Christoph Hartmann defended the series’ new path.
“The ‘90s generation of gamers all love XCOM and we own the IP, so we thought OK, what do we do with it? Every studio we had wanted to do it and each one had its own spin on it. But the problem was that turn-based strategy games were no longer the hottest thing on planet Earth. But this is not just a commercial thing – strategy games are just not contemporary,” said Hartmann.
“I use the example of music artists. Look at someone old school like Ray Charles, if he would make music today it would still be Ray Charles but he would probably do it more in the style of Kanye West. Bringing Ray Charles back is all fine and good, but it just needs to move on, although the core essence will still be the same.
“That’s what we are trying to do. To renew XCOM but in line with what this generation of gamers want. The team behind it is asking themselves every day: ‘Is it true to the values of the franchise?’ It’s not a case of cashing in on the name. We just need to renew it because times are changing.”
XCOM is out on March 9, 2012. Read our E3 preview here.