Development of Xenonauts 2 Began At The Beginning Of The Year

Indie videogame development studio Goldhawk Interactive has confirmed Xenonauts, a game inspired by XCOM: UFO Defense, will be obtaining a sequel. The confirmation of Xenonauts 2 first came from studio head Chris England on their Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/GoldhawkInt/status/694936227636711424

Xenonauts 2 has been in development since the beginning of this year, and since they are just getting started we will need to wait a couple of months before a full announcement of the game with screenshots, website will seen.

The game is being developed using Unity 3D, which means the game will improve from it's 2D roots to 3D graphics. The Time Unit combat system will be kept from the Xenonauts, though the interface will be enhanced, along with some destructible environments.

While fans might be expecting the advanced alien technology from the first game, they may be a bit disappointed as the sequel is set in an alternative Cold War era, and the technology will not be available.

Here is what the studio listed as their "broad areas of focus":

• Game Engine – using Unity3D will give us a much more capable platform for development than our previous engine, so expect fewer bugs, improved performance, better modding support, etc

• 3D Graphics – moving from 2D sprites to 3D graphics will improve visual fidelity, but will also be valuable for gameplay – it allows for things like rotating cameras, vastly improved animation, physics objects, accurate projectile tracking, etc

• Ground Combat – we will be retaining the Time Unit combat system, and will enhance the interface and giving the player additional tactical options: destructible UFOs, better use of terrain verticality, human psionics, etc

• Geoscape – we want to add a lot more strategic choice for the player with regards to the research tree and how they choose to expand their organisation (there was definitely too much strategic railroading in the first Xenonauts)

• Air Combat – redesigned to be turn-based and to feature larger numbers of combatants, with the goal of making it a less frequent occurrence but more tactically involved when it does happen

• Aliens – we are visually and mechanically redesigning all of the enemies, and creating a more intelligent and challenging foe by developing gameplay systems that allow the aliens to respond and adapt to your tactics and technology.

Goldhawk Interactive recognizes the issues the original game had, stating that lack of knowledge and early funding held back the development process. With the experience and income that they have earned with Xenonauts, the studio feels they can not only improve but expand on what they have begun in the sequel.

Fans will have to wait until 2017 to get their hands on the full game, though an Early Access phase will be available to help aid in the creation of Xenonauts 2.