It’s April 26th, and that can only mean one thing for fans of Ridley Scott’s horror masterclass: Alien Day. In honor of Acheron, the far-flung moon otherwise known as LV-426, and indeed the iconic sci-fi franchise itself, the next 18-to-24 hours will signal a raft of competitions and themed giveaways through 20th Century Fox, with a particular emphasis on the impending Alien: Covenant.
Although just when it seemed as though the stars would align for Alien: Isolation 2, Eurogamer has relayed a statement from The Creative Assembly in which the studio effectively debunks any and all rumors concerning a sequel. That chatter can be traced back to the latest edition of Official PlayStation Magazine (with a tip of the hat to PlayStation Universe), which fuelled rumors that The Creative Assembly was quietly preparing to fire up pre-production on Isolation 2 once Halo Wars 2 had shipped to retail.
Turns out that’s not the case, after a representative from SEGA, the parent company behind Creative Assembly, told Eurogamer that, “currently the studio is fully focused on the development of Total War: Warhammer 2 and other as yet unannounced projects.” We know one of those projects to be a second Total War title, the details of which are being kept under lockdown for the time being.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Alien: Isolation 2 has been blown out of the airlock entirely, after Creative Assembly Studio Director Tom Heaton had this to say to GamesIndustry.biz in late 2015:
“Alien: Isolation 2 is not out of the question,” Creative Assembly studio director Tim Heaton told , “because we’re so proud of it and there’s possibly more to be said. But do we really want to be spending very significant amounts of money, and getting close to break-even or just about in the black? That’s not where Sega wants to be, when we have a brilliant portfolio of other games that do great business.”
So, there you have it; no Alien: Isolation 2 – not yet, anyway. But what are your thoughts on future Alien games? Film-wise, the Alien franchise is in remarkably good shape, and that’s even when you factor in the lukewarm reaction to Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Not only is Alien: Covenant looming large on the horizon – May 19th is the date for your diaries – but Scott has purportedly mapped out plans for another two entries in the series, with the first bearing the title Alien: Awakening. One thing’s for sure: the beast is not done (nor cooked) just yet.