On the 10th anniversary of the release of Alien: Isolation, developer Creative Assembly confirmed that a sequel is in the works.
In a statement marking the survival horror classic’s 10th anniversary, original director Al Hope said the development team will share more details “when we’re ready.”
Hope returns to lead the development of the sequel, as she did with the first installment. IN his statement posted to X/TwitterHope said: “On your 10th anniversary, it seems appropriate to let you know that we heard your cries for help loud and clear.
“Today, I’m happy to confirm on behalf of the team that a sequel to Alien: Isolation is in early development. We look forward to sharing more details with you when we are ready.”
Creative Assembly has not confirmed the game’s final title, release window, or target launch platforms. Given that the sequel is in its early stages of development, it will likely be some time before we know what to expect and see it for the first time.
For now, though, Alien: Isolation fans are really excited, and many of them have been asking Creative Assembly and owner Sega to greenlight a sequel since the first game’s release. However, its existence comes as something of a surprise; Alien: Isolation sold one million copies within three months of going on sale, and then 2.11 million after six months, which was not enough for Sega to consider it a commercial success.
“Alien: Isolation 2 is not excluded,” said Creative Assembly studio director Tim Heaton he told GamesIndustry.biz in tardy 2015, “because we’re very proud of it and there’s probably a lot more to say. But do we really want to spend very large sums of money and approach break-even, or be in the red? This is not what Sega wants, it will happen when we have a great portfolio of other games that are doing great business.”
IGN recently revisited Alien: Isolation for its 10th anniversary, examining why the 2014 horror film has the same impact today as it did when it first released. “It is an unforgettable achievement in video game design that has successfully stood the test of time and, like the 1979 film from which it was released, will undoubtedly continue to work well beyond the next decade,” we said. “Today, on its 10th anniversary, Alien: Isolation remains a unique, extraordinary experience.”
It’s been a difficult time for Creative Assembly in recent years, with the cancellation of the Hyena shooter service, the failure of Total War: Pharaoh to find an audience, and a significant wave of layoffs right after the studio apologized for various errors made as part of the Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC.
However, the British studio still has a lot to do beyond the sequel to Alien: Isolation. Creative Assembly is also reportedly working on a Total War Star Wars video game, one of three new Total War games in development. Total War fans have been calling on Creative Assembly to give a Star Wars game a try for years, though there have been equally loud calls for the studio to continue the Total War Warhammer trilogy of games with a similar effort with Warhammer 40,000.
As for Alien, the franchise gained popularity following the release of its “interquel” Alien: Romulus, which grossed over $300 million worldwide. Alien: Earth, an FX television series set just before 2012’s Prometheus, will be released in 2025.
Wesley is the UK news editor at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be reached at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
