Creative Assembly Making Alien Game, Opening New Studio

Total War UK-based developer Creative Assembly today announced that it is making a game based on the Alien science fiction horror franchise. At a press event held in Horsham, UK, the Sega-owned company revealed that the upcoming title will be a "console core game", although no specific platforms have yet been named. The developer said that it is set to open a new 10,000 square foot facility in the area in aid of the game's development, and noted that it plans to have around 200 staff within the year. 160 people currently work at Creative Assembly. The game's announcement comes years after Borderlands developer Gearbox announced Aliens: Colonial Marines, an Unreal Engine 3-based first-person shooter published by Sega. Continued development of that game was in question in November 2008, but Gearbox at the time said development was continuing. Sega acquired the rights to make games based on the Twentieth Century Fox movie property in late 2006. The publisher also commissioned Fallout: New Vegas studio Obsidian to create an Alien RPG, although that game was cancelled in 2009. [UPDATE: Following news of The Creative Assembly's upcoming game, Gamasutra contacted Gearbox, which stated, "In regards to Aliens: Colonial Marines, we are still excited about this is project and we are still very much working on it. We know everyone is excited for it and we really can’t wait to talk about it."]