XCOM FPS invading 360s, PCs

Rumors that 2K was working on a fresh take on the classic X-Com games have been bubbling since the publisher acquired the license from Atari in 2005. That speculation came back with a vengeance last year after a resume was unearthed from a 3D artist who formerly was with 2K Australia. The document listed X-Com as one of the titles he had worked on.

All the gossip has now proved to be true, with 2K today confirming that it is indeed working on a new game in the alien-focused franchise, simply titled "XCOM." The publisher is billing the new Xbox 360 and PC game as a "re-imagining" of the franchise. Unlike the turn-based strategy and resource management core of the original X-Com: UFO Defense, the new title will be a first-person shooter. Players will take the role of an FBI agent whose job is to identify and eliminate an unknown extraterrestrial threat.

While Irrational Games head Ken Levine last year professed his admiration for the franchise, it seems his studio will not be in charge of the reboot. 2K Marin--made up of studios in Novato, California, and Canberra, Australia--will be developing the game, with the Australian offices taking the lead on the project. 2K Marin's last project was the critically well-received BioShock 2, which has now shipped more than 3 million units worldwide.