Three
years since the stellar
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (
Review), comes XCOM 2. Helmed by
acclaimed developer
Firaxis Games (responsible for the
Civilization
series as well as
XCOM), it takes place 20 years after the first game.
Aliens rule the world and humanity must strike back and reclaim control.
While
its predecessor found its way to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS,
Android, Windows, and Mac, XCOM 2 is for Windows, Linux, and Mac only. The latter two platforms will see development by Feral Interactive. No
other platforms have been announced at the moment, and the game has been
given a November 2015 release date.
"Firaxis proved they could
reimagine a beloved franchise with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a Game of the
Year award-winning title," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K in a
press release for the game. "With XCOM 2, the team is breathing new
life into the series by adding an epic narrative and challenging players
to overcome near impossible odds."

"The feedback from the
passionate XCOM community played an important role in the development of
XCOM 2, driving us to push the visual, gameplay and replayability
boundaries of what a strategy game can be," said Jake Solomon, creative
director of XCOM 2 at Firaxis Games. "We're thrilled to implement
long-time fan requested features such as procedural levels and modding
support, as well as adding more of what makes XCOM great like new
aliens, enemies and soldier classes."
Considering that the
tactical strategy genre is a niche in itself, announcing XCOM 2 now a
shrewd move. One that ensures it won't get lost in the slew of game
announcements expected at E3 that's just a couple of weeks away. The company has created a dedicated page for the game, called Advent Future.
Check
out the announcement trailer below, which features the description,
"Twenty years have passed since humanity lost the war against the alien
invaders and a new world order now exists under the enforcement of the Advent. After years of lurking in the shadows, the time has come for the
remnant XCOM forces to rise and reclaim control of Earth."