French Pub Anuman Planning New XIII Game

Montreuil, France-based publisher Anuman Interactive has announced plans for a new game based on French comic series XIII over eight years after the property was first adapted as a video game. A teaser image released by the publisher promises PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad players will be able to "go back to the XIII conspiracy origins" in November. No other details about the new title have yet been provided. Ubisoft's XIII hit the PS2, Xbox, GameCube and PC in 2003, standing out from a crowded field of shooters thanks to a comic-inspired presentation that included cel-shaded graphics, sound effects accompanied by comic-style text and multiple, paneled viewpoints in many scenes. The title received middling reviews, however, and sold "lower than the early-December forecasts" according to an Ubisoft earning report at the time. The XIII comic has been published sporadically since 1984 and currently spanning 19 volumes, the most recent hitting shelves in 2007. The property has also been adapted to two separate TV miniseries in Europe in recent years. Last year, Anuman announced it would be opening a New York City office to help facilitate US distribution.