Gearbox spins out Aliens, Heat game details

Forthcoming shooter will cast players as a rookie Colonial Marine; studio head has met Michael Mann on crime game project.

At the Ubidays 2007 event in Paris last week, Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford was cornered by Swedish game-news site Gamereactor for a TV interview. After the obligatory plug for the upcoming WWII shooter Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, he gave some updates about two film license projects his studio is working on.

The Colonial Marine experience on next-gen platforms? Outstanding!

First up was Gearbox's forthcoming shooter based on James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi classic Aliens. Development for the project is apparently well under way. "We're working really hard on that right now," said Pitchford. Sega is publishing the game in conjunction with 20th Century Fox, which owns the film rights.

The executive also revealed some tidbits about the plot of the Aliens game, which is due on "next-gen platforms" in 2009. "Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective," explained Pitchford. The Colonial Marines battled the acid-blooded xenomorphs in Aliens, and were a template for the troopers who fight alongside the Master Chief in the Halo games.

Pitchford also revealed there was a limited amount of collaboration going on between Gearbox and Obsidian Entertainment (Neverwinter Nights II), which is making an Aliens-based role-playing game. "There's people on our production team that share things with them," he said, before explaining the two titles were "going in totally different directions."

Pitchford also revealed that he hooked up with a famed film director to kick around ideas for a game adaptation of the 1995 crime epic Heat. "I've had some meetings with Michael Mann," said Pitchford. "[And] I think there's some room for interactive entertainment to deal with the challenges between cops and robbers."

Unfortunately, the developer also had some discouraging news about the Heat game, which was revealed at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo. "We haven't actually started on this project yet," he admitted, "But it's something I'm impassioned by and it's something that we've talked about a lot with the filmmakers and they're interested in doing too."

187 Comments

  • patrick31180

    Posted Dec 6, 2008 9:22 am PT

    heat is going too be brill cant wait just hope they release a bit more info

  • GrendelJP

    Posted Aug 6, 2008 11:58 pm PT

    I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this, but this exact same Aliens project was started and then aborted like five years ago or more for the PS2. Considering the licencing issues involved; I'll bet 20'th Century Fox still has, or has access to most of the original creative materials, (story boards, renderings, sound files, etc.) and that should help speed things up a bit when it comes to development.

    As far as being a good game or not... well this it the franchise that started the whole 'space marine' genre beginning with the ORIGINAL Doom! I say it deserves a shot based on that alone.

  • Game_God_Guru

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 1:46 am PT

    i'm really excited about this. I hope the game stays in development for a while and they do a good job.

  • xbox360progamer

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 5:01 pm PT

    they still didnt give enough about the game for me to give a comment about but i do not think that this is going to be a good game..

  • EvtheMan

    Posted Jul 13, 2008 12:18 am PT

    I was thinking for a multiplayer gametype, it could be several marines maybe 8-10 against one alien who is the queen. The queen however doesn't just sit around, she takes the role as the commander of her "troops". Within the level there would be a "holding area" for civilians who are NPCs. The Queen's job is to send her aliens to bring back as many civilians as possible to create more drones. The marines job is two: first, defend civilians to depopulate the alien hive, and two kill the queen. The Aliens would probably start out with 5 or so aliens at first to help defend the queen and gather civilians. The queens perspective would be much like an RTS where the marines would all be First Person.

    other gametypes could be regular deathmatch and team deathmatch and I would love to see capture the flag with all aliens. I really hope they have a team who love the movies and really use them for inspiration as they were designed the way they were for a reason. I can't wait to see Giger's work on dx10.

  • Reaper_15

    Posted Jun 25, 2008 1:59 pm PT

    This game is gonna be amazing I read in my last xbox mag that each marine is goin to have different things they are good at ( like one guy know how to use a blow torch and can weld vents back shut, or another guy knows how to set up turrets ) so right there role based squad tactics are kick ass. The thing to really make this a 10/10 game is a multiplayer game with Marines vs Aliens, it would be so sick, maybe to have kinda like a zombies game for Halo3 but instead you can either kill or like knock out to take back to the hive and turn them into another alien to increase your HORDE lol, idk hit me up with what ya think. Cause I can just remember how sweeet it was for the AVP games on PC when you could just run along the walls and s*** as the aliens

  • Metallicantera

    Posted Jun 20, 2008 1:58 am PT

    Far as im concerned the alien franchise ended after the first 2 movies... 3 and 4 wer stupid and predator 2 was garbage so wer the alien versus predator movies as long as they stick to aliens ALONE and make it as similar to the second movie as they can (best sci fi movie ever ipo) it will be great. . other wise GAME OVER MAN GAME OVER! Ripley was gay as hell... should have murdered her and let Hicks live on the franchise or Hudson or even Vazquez (keep the female roll)

  • Warghost2k

    Posted Jun 11, 2008 4:51 am PT

    Aliens Vs. Predator 2 was such a great shooter. I have high hopes for this one, but there's no way it can be as great as that one was. Especially considering there are no Predators in this game. I wish they would have done AVP3 instead. Imagine a game that great on next-gen hardware. Daaayum! They should have bought the rights to the Predator license also. It's owned by Fox, just like Aliens is. Oh well, maybe next year.

  • Schmitty722

    Posted Jun 10, 2008 1:39 pm PT

    this is a line i always wanted too say (THEIR IN THE VENTS) and start shooting all over, man i cant wait for this game

  • treksterjsc

    Posted Jun 2, 2008 1:09 pm PT

    I am really hyped about this game. I sure they do it right! Hey sarge, why don't you put her in charge....

  • pzio

    Posted May 12, 2008 3:26 pm PT

    This looks so sick. This is at the top of my list for games that I want to get. I saw on gamestop that it might come out in october, but gamespot says its coming 2009. ?

  • battlewolf316

    Posted Apr 19, 2008 11:04 pm PT

    Interesting. This will not be the first aliens shooter game. The PC had one that allowed you to be an alien, predator, or marine.

  • Psycold

    Posted Mar 29, 2008 1:52 pm PT

    The Alien game sounds promising, as for the HEAT game, well, I have a huge replication of the movie poster on my wall, but thats for the movie, not for a video game trying to cash in 13 years later. A lot of what made the movie so good was the amazing cast, seeing Pacino and Deniro together was amazing, there is no way this game will have voice talent from those two, so it's already lost to me.

  • blaze11987

    Posted Mar 17, 2008 10:55 am PT

    they HAVE to include vehicle hot swapping battlefield style in Aliens. with the four player co-op, one player could be a drop-ship pilot while another drove the tank with the last two players inside. imagine dropping the tank and dusting off while giving air support and stuff. as for a Heat game, i can't really see how they could. There was'nt that much action in it apart from the bank job. big thumbs down to that project.

  • Jokul

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 1:31 am PT

    Now all we need is a next gen AVP and I won't leave the house for 5 months

  • Legendary_Ross

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 3:03 am PT

    Gearbox did a great job with the Brothers In Arms franchise so I'm pretty optimistic about this news!

  • Seabread

    Posted Nov 26, 2007 8:53 am PT

    rookie marine, eh? sounds like avp2 to me. lets just hope they do a better job and dont go down the cartoon-graphic look. avp was much more realistic-looking and that was years ago, no excuses on today's machines.
    very excited, 'bout both projects. but games based off film licenses can be dodgy. aliens has a very good chance of being a solid title -the story has been open-ended for years so its feasible to create another situation with the acid spitting xenos.
    Heat, on the other hand, is a closed license. Unless Michael Mann can come up with bits that we didnt see in the film but that still tie in with the film story (hope the game isn't just an excuse to 'rob the bank') i don't think this will live up to expectations, especially given how awesome the film is. if a game is to be made then it needs to do justice to the film.

  • Shadow_Fire41

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 4:03 pm PT

    my bad Rety, didn't read whole thing.

  • hellpolice

    Posted Sep 30, 2007 12:14 am PT

    StonyShred420 said:
    "Game over man, game over!"
    lol! Hubson rules

    I hope they get this one right I'm a huge Aliens fan and yet I have not seen a superb game to back up the legendary franchise.

  • rety5

    Posted Aug 22, 2007 5:01 am PT

    @Shadow_Fire41 It says if you read it properly that the marines in the aliens movie were the template for the ones seen in Halo. Ie No you dont play as someone who has fought next to master chief. Learn how to ACTUALLY read before posting.

  • Shadow_Fire41

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 9:38 pm PT

    whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! YOU ARE A TROOP WHO FOUGHT ALONGSIDE MASTER CHIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!??? **** YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • SpazH3d

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 12:23 am PT

    I WANT TO PLAY AS THE ALIEN GODDAMMIT! And you better make this for PC too.

  • omegajek

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 5:39 pm PT

    Man i long for this to come my way, i've been an alien fan since ages... and now that it's heading towards nextgen i allmost wet my pants....but let's wait for game footage, before we come to conclussions.
    Hoping for the best!!! AA at least

  • StonyShred420

    Posted Jun 24, 2007 12:44 pm PT

    Game over man, game over!

  • stuckboy

    Posted Jun 6, 2007 7:34 am PT

    This has the potential to become the most trouser soilingly terrifying game ever made.

  • shockwave04

    Posted Jun 5, 2007 5:39 am PT

    Get your ass in gear gearbox and start working a a heat game.

  • MuscleCarMan

    Posted Jun 5, 2007 1:51 am PT

    i read some of the comments at the bottom and i agree. Hell yeah they should make a game with a part where you play as a colonist at LV-426 when the outbreak occured. Then the second half or even like other 3/4s be about the marines arriving. Btw if you guys want an idea of what happens before rent/buy Aliens on dvd and the directors cut gives you an idea of what happened. Probably clocking in at around 30-40 extra minutes of footage throughout the movie.

  • watercandle

    Posted Jun 5, 2007 12:53 am PT

    "Whether or not Pacino participates is the biggest issue of the project? Yeah, who cares about gameplay and graphics... voice actors are what make games good or bad."

    Currently. This project is not even started, and all the main actors agreed to participate is this project except Pacino. Currently his choice will decide the whole game's storyline, if you watched Heat you know what I'm saying. Yeah gameplay is the most important thing but now it's too early to talk about gameplay of a game which doesn't even started developing.

  • gmayronne

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 8:44 pm PT

    i agree lithus, they should focus on what happened before the marines showed up. i understand that the colonists there were very limited on their weapons and skills so being put in that postion with lack of weapons, and combat knowledge could be very interesting from a gameplay perspective, kinda in the sense of "do and use" whatever it takes to survivie scenario. ahhhhh so many possibilities.

  • runbmp

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 4:48 pm PT

    " Can you guys not read?? This game is a RPG not FPS...... " Iceman bud, take a second look at the article.

    "before explaining the two titles were "going in totally different directions."

    " limited amount of collaboration going on between Gearbox and Obsidian Entertainment (Neverwinter Nights II), which is making an Aliens-based role-playing game. "

  • lithus

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 2:31 pm PT

    It's about time they do a decent Aliens game. But they should do it from the perspective of one of the colonists on LV-426 BEFORE the marines arrive. Than maybe pick it up with a marine. I've always wondered what really happened.

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 2:17 pm PT

    ur all wrong all they said was they are mildly working with the neverwinter nights ll guys... and they said that there are two tiltles going in different directions...and that it takes place in the marines perspective... so really we have no idea what it is... my guess is its an FPSRPG... like S.T.A.L.K.E.R......

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 2:13 pm PT

    please not suck... and please not be a new movie tie in.. i mean i know avp2 is coming out in the fall but if there is another alien movie, lets hope there is no game tie in.....

  • haesuse

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    Aliens thing is a run down idea but never know, a good execution and some nice inovative twists on it and it just might work, as for heat, i just dont wanna see a classic movie like that get ruined thru a half-ass game.

  • DesmondPills

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 1:18 pm PT

    HEAT is the one movie to game project ive ever wanted. please let this happpen.

  • wizzzer_thy_133

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 1:08 pm PT

    best movie ever, actually... the first is a more profound art masterpiece... but Aliens?.... Aliens is what made Doom, Halo, Starcraft and all that s*** what it is today all the way back in 1986.

  • Dante565

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 11:01 am PT

    I will play any game based on Aliens because no matter how good or bad it is ill have fun.

  • santaman64

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 10:43 am PT

    Iceman-X, you can't read, this game is a FPS, the 4th paragragh says that. "Pitchford also revealed there was a limited amount of collaboration going on between Gearbox and Obsidian Entertainment (Neverwinter Nights II), which is making an Aliens-based role-playing game." So it is Obsidian Entertainment's game that is a RPG, the Genre for this game is Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter. And I am greatful that it is. Hopefully we get a demo before 2009. Go Gearbox!!!

  • Iceman-X

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 9:18 am PT

    Can you guys not read?? This game is a RPG not FPS......

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 8:27 am PT

    another aliens shooter? let the series rest....

  • Bug420

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 7:44 am PT

    Whether or not Pacino participates is the biggest issue of the project? Yeah, who cares about gameplay and graphics... voice actors are what make games good or bad.

  • watercandle

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 6:28 am PT

    Many of you are talking about Aliens but I'm very interested in Heat. Whether Al Pacino participate in this project or not is a biggest issue of this project currently, and I want him to participate in. Heat will be a top-notch without a doubt.

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 6:12 am PT

    I would loooove a really really good Aliens game by a team that loves the movies as much as I do and wont release it until it is absolutely perfect.

    Little things would do it for me. Collectible in game bonuses like film character bios and detailed Alien info. Voice work from Sigourney, Biehn, Henrikson and Paxton. My god it could be awesome. I pray it's done right.

  • Icarusmk3

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 5:59 am PT

    Aliens FPS => about damned time. Considering Gearbox background on working on FPS, this would definitely be one to look out for.

  • Ironwulfen

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 5:46 am PT

    Deadbullet just had to show up and let us know that he hates A L I E N S? lol, what a retard I hope he got satisfaction from doing that, because I see absolutely no reason for him to drop by and blow off that bit of steam.. I hope this works out and becomes a good game Alien rgp? hmmm..

  • StonyShred420

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 5:45 am PT

    Sweet, another Aliens FPS......Alien Vs Predator 2 was awesome, lets hope for more gold!

  • rottenjoe

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 3:39 am PT

    wait wait just stop for a sec... is this going to be another game, cuz i am confuzed.

  • amogley

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 3:35 am PT

    It will be interesting to see what they can do with an Aliens based FPS to set it apart from it's predecessors. (AvP, AvP2, and Alien Resurrection). Will be following the development with interest

  • phantomdragon

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 1:48 am PT

    NOOOOO, some guy disrespected Aliens, I spit at thee. hahaha

  • auntbessie

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 12:57 am PT

    I sure would like to get me some of that Arturian poontang

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