The past few weeks have brought fans of the Alien franchise some welcome news, with updates both on the forthcoming new prequel series and footage from a new videogame based on the saga which is heading to consoles and PCs in 2023.
Disney first revealed plans for a new TV series set in the Alien universe back in 2020 as part of its Investor Day.
Since then, it’s been revealed that the show will be set on Earth around 70 years from now and is said to be focussed on a whole new line-up of characters, with only the Xenomorph set to return from previous entries.
The show is being helmed by Fargo creator Noah Hawley and will be produced by Ridley Scott – the Director of the original Alien movie – through his Scott Free production label.
It’ll stream in the US on Hulu and will also be available internationally on Disney+. In the UK, it’ll join the rest of the saga – including the Alien & Predator crossover films – which is already available for subscribers to stream.
News on the show’s status came during the recent Television Critics Association summer publicity tour in the US, where FX boss John Landgraf revealed that Hawley has completed all of his scripts for the series, allowing filming to get underway next year.
That welcome news was followed earlier this month by the release of early development footage from Aliens: Dark Descent, a new videogame coming to consoles and PC next year.
Developed by Tindalos Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment, the game features an original Alien story in which the players is in charge of a squad of hardened Colonial Marines tasked with stopping a Xenomorph outbreak on Moon Lethe.
There they’ll encounter iconic Xenomorph creatures ranging from Facehuggers to Praetorians, Alien Queens and many more, including rogue human commandos and a brand-new threat unique to the game.
The Alien Gaming Legacy
Dark Descent is the latest in a long line of video games based on the Alien franchise starting with 1982’s Alien for the Atari 2600 console through to last year’s Aliens: Fireteam Elite.
Officially licensed Alien games have also been released for a variety of other formats including card games, multiple board games including an Alien themed Cluedo variant, an officially licensed slot game which was widely positively reviewed, including by Vegas Slots Online – a site which lists and rates all the top safe online casinos in NZ, for Kiwis to enjoy – and a host of Role Playing Games culminating in Free League Publishing’s ALIEN: The Roleplaying Game.
The game’s success since its release almost three years ago has led to the release of several expansions, with a further playable scenario – Heart of Darkness – due later this year.
Free League is also helping to shape future non-gaming Alien stories through a tie-up with Titan Books.
Announced earlier this year the partnership has seen creative teams from both companies share assets and coordinate plotlines to form a cohesive narrative playing out across Free League’s games and Titan’s novel range.