Gearbox Software's upcoming action shooter now scheduled for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC release on February 12, 2013; Wii U date coming later.
Gamers won't get their hands on Aliens: Colonial Marines this fall as developer Gearbox Software had previously announced. Today, the studio announced that the new science-fiction action shooter will arrive worldwide on February 12, 2013, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. A release date for the Wii U version of the game will be announced at a later date.
Writing on the Gearboxity blog, Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford did not directly attribute anything specific to the delay. He explained that Aliens: Colonial Marines must feel "authentic" and appeal to longtime fans of the Alien film franchise, as well as those who have never seen any of the movies.
Pitchford also explained why some may have felt Aliens: Colonial Marines has boasted a longer-than-average development cycle. He said though the game was "announced" in 2008, at that time, the studio had only just finished prototypes and was just beginning earnest production of the title. In the end, Pitchford said development time for Aliens: Colonial Marines will be roughly equivalent to the original Borderlands or the first Brothers in Arms title.
This is not the first time Aliens: Colonial Marines has been delayed. Last June, a spring 2012 release date was slapped on the game, but that changed in January, when Sega and Gearbox Software revealed the game had been pushed to a fall 2012 release.
Speaking to GameSpot in a video interview (embedded below), Pitchford explained that the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines will be the best-looking iteration of the game. He also said it will make use of Nintendo's tablet controller, which will operate as a motion tracker, among other things.
The story of Aliens: Colonial Marines picks up shortly after the events of the 1986 sci-fi film Aliens. Players will join a squad of the titular space soldiers who board the USS Sulaco, the spaceship from the film, after it is apparently abandoned. From there the action will spread to the surface of the planet LV-426 and its main settlement, Hadley's Hope. The first-person shooter will also feature environments and weapons inspired by the film.
