The umbrella of sci-fi is massive, and virtually every film and television studio has tried its hand at it in some form, from epic space operas like Star Wars to time-traveling classics like Back to the Future or more contained ideas, like 2024’s The Substance. However, only Alien can be credited for the tagline “In space, no one can hear you scream.” Ridley Scott‘s influential 1979 classic was revolutionary in how it intertwined the genre at its most interstellar with gritty horror trappings, inhabited by a doomed cast led by Sigourney Weaver. So successful was that atmospheric first outing that the battle against the Xenomorphs would inspire all manner of sci-fi horror features to come and begin an entire franchise. James Cameron‘s Aliens took things in a more action-oriented direction and further solidified the series as a mainstay, paving the way for other entries that would continue to expand the world, like last year’s Alien: Earth.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Alien, but there has been a return to form lately. The aforementioned Alien: Earth, helmed by Noah Hawley, finally brought the Xenomorphs to humanity’s homeworld and was hailed as a breath of fresh air by critics and audiences, earning a second season back in November. The last cinematic outing, Alien Romulus, was also praised as a bloody return to form under director Fede Álvarez with a stellar $350.9 million haul. A sequel bringing back Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson remains in development, but its fate is currently up in the air after Álvarez confirmed last year he wouldn’t be back behind the camera. Outside of the realm of film and television, a sequel to one of the franchise’s best games, Alien: Isolation, is also in the works.
News broke that the 2014 survival horror video game was finally getting a follow-up back in 2024 from original developers, Creative Assembly. Only recently, however, has the curtain started to be drawn on the long-awaited return to this universe. It began with a brief teaser shared in April, before Alien: Isolation 2 emerged at Summer Game Fest last week to fully showcase the storm-ravaged, Xenomorph-inhabited colony world that players would be navigating in a new trailer. Alongside that harrowing footage, Sega has now shared a few details about the story and, particularly, the new setting. The goal will be to explore and survive this harsh new planet, from the surface to the claustrophobic Weyland-Yutani outpost of Kurosaki Station, improvising and using new tools and techniques along the way to evade the alien menace.
‘Alien: Isolation 2’ Will Feature a New Protagonist and a Deadlier Xenomorph
The original Alien: Isolation was hailed as a survival horror standout and one of the most faithful to Scott’s original vision when it released. It was also canon to the Alien films, following Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, 15 years after the first film, as she fights for survival aboard the space station Sevastopol in search of answers about her mother’s disappearance. Although the game leaves Amanda on a cliffhanger, her story is carried on in comics, meaning Isolation 2 will take things in a different direction. Creative Assembly confirmed that there will be a new protagonist, one who, according to the trailer, appears to be in a particularly dire situation and potentially on the wrong side of Weyland-Yutani.
The main character isn’t the only one changing. According to creative director Al Hope, Creative Assembly has been working hard to improve the AI of the Xenomorph and evolve the survival experience to make each encounter even more frightening. The Xenomorph of Isolation was the highlight for how impressively it tracked players throughout the halls of the Sevastopol, always popping out of vents and often appearing where you least wanted it to. With over ten years away from that game, anticipation is high to see what a new and improved alien can do to scare players all over again.
“It has been over a decade since we created the original Alien: Isolation, and I am so excited to show everyone the first glimpse of the sequel. Our dedicated Survival team at Creative Assembly has been working hard to create a new, evolved Isolation experience continuing the legacy of the Alien franchise, making the eponymous killer smarter, the environment harsher, and the chance of survival slimmer.”
Alien: Isolation 2 has no release date, but it’s available to wishlist now on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is also coming. Check out the trailer in the player above.
via Collider