Aliens: Colonial Marines Coming in 2012

Wednesday Sega announced that Gearbox Software's upcoming (and long-awaited) shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines will finally launch in Spring 2012 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The news follows last week's announcement that Gearbox's other non-Sega FPS for 2K Games, Duke Nukem Forever, had finally gone gold after a 14-year bake in the developmental oven.

"To Gearbox Software and its peers throughout the industry, ALIENS is one of the most influential science fiction properties of all time," said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. "Aliens: Colonial Marines, designed as an interactive successor to the landmark films from Twentieth Century Fox, is a dream project about which our studio is deeply committed and passionate."

News of the game first surfaced back in December 2006 after Sega purchased the electronic rights to the ALIENS franchise from 20th Century Fox. The game wasn't officially announced until two years later on February 2008, but by November there was rumor that it was put on indefinite hold due to layoffs at Gearbox. Pitchford insisted the development still continued although additional news or multimedia weren't provided to convince a doubting audience.

Early 2010 rolled around and there was still no sign of Colonial Marines. However, Sega released Aliens Vs. Predator during that timeframe and revealed it would be the first of its ALIENS games to be released, sparking new hope that the Gearbox FPS would soon follow. The game didn't arrive, but new screenshots were released during PAX 2010, proving that the project was far from dead. Now there's a definitive release date and promise of an appearance at E3 2011 next week.

"Aliens: Colonial Marines will be THE definitive ALIENS gaming experience," said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SEGA Europe and SEGA of America. "Gearbox Software are doing a brilliant job translating the thrill and horror that ALIENS stands for into an action-packed shooter experience with co-operative gameplay at its core."

For the uninitiated, here's the official game description:

Aliens: Colonial Marines begins with an ostensibly abandoned ship, the U.S.S. Sulaco, recovered in orbit around LV-426. Players lead a group of highly trained United States Colonial Marines as they board the deserted craft to uncover the fate of the crew. They will have to fight to survive unspeakable horrors and their own anxieties as they chase down the truth behind a galaxy-spanning deception that places humanity at the mercy of the most murderous and deadly species in the universe. Aliens: Colonial Marines features authentic environments, such as the surface of LV-426 and Hadley’s Hope, weapons inspired by the film series and is designed to provide an exhilarating and engaging new chapter in the Aliens universe.

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