The imminent return of Amanda Ripley to the world of Alien videogames gave us quite a ride, from excited speculation to "Oh, it's a mobile game" when Alien: Blackout was announced. Which is not an inherently bad thing by any means—I love mobile gaming, and there's some great stuff out there that you can only get on your phone or tablet—but for Alien fans anxious for a full-scale followup to the outstanding Isolation, it was a letdown.
And by "letdown," I mean, well, this:
The uproar did not go unnoticed, and perhaps mindful of the reaction to Diablo Immortal (and Blizzard's not-too-smooth handling of the backlash), Fox issued a statement to MSPowerUser clarifying that, aside from the leader character, Blackout is not connected to Alien: Isolation in any way.
"[Alien: Blackout] is a standalone game that shares Amanda Ripley as a main character but is not related to or a sequel of Isolation," it said.
That's particularly relevant in light of this bit from the Blackout announcement: "This year, fans of the critically-acclaimed Alien: Isolation videogame are invited to embark on new adventures with Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, by watching, playing, and reading her story as she renews her fight against the aliens after the events of Isolation," it says. "20th Century Fox will partner with a wide range of storytellers and innovators to bring this epic chapter in the Alien Universe to life, with even more entries in Amanda Ripley’s story soon to be announced."
That doesn't exactly commit to a proper Isolation sequel but the implication is certainly there, and Blackout definitively is not it. The official Alien Twitter account also attempted to smooth the waters, although based on the responses to the tweet there's still considerable doubt about where the series is headed.
At least one new Alien game is known to be coming to PC and consoles, an MMO shooter currently in development at Cold Iron Studios. The studio recently posted a job listing for a senior narrative designer, who will "develop fresh and innovative stories, settings, and characters in the Aliens science fiction universe."
Thanks, Eurogamer.
