Creative Assembly are ready to show their new FPS (to big-shot directors)
But what is it?
We've known for a while that Creative Assembly have been working on a new-new "tactical" FPS, almost certainly not a sequel to Alien: Isolation, but they're only now starting to openly talk about it - and show it, to a lucky few. Neill Blomkamp, the director of films including Chappie (pictured above) and District 9, peeked recently and dug it, saying the game has an "amazing core concept." But it's still a big mystery to the rest of us. Creative Assembly's first foray into first-person shooting was astonishing for a studio which has largely focused on strategic third-person clicking with Total War for almost 20 years, so sure, I'll wait.
"The FPS they are building is extremely cool," Blomkamp tweeted yesterday, following a visit to Creative Assembly headquarters. "Amazing core concept. Had an awesome time."
Don't read this situation as Blomkamp being involved with making the game. One perk of being a high-flying professional is getting to barge into any other industry and demand people show you their secrets. You wouldn't believe the hot scoops I've picked up at the Greggs R&D labs.
Given what we know of Blomkamp's interests from his films and how much he apparently enjoyed seeing this game, we can reasonably assume that what Creative Assembly call their "brand-new FPS [intellectual property]" is about a man who dies from an alien radiation disease then is resurrected as a robot that's half-criminal, half-cop. Sounds like Creative Assembly are spinning a lot of plates with all those ideas, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
Neill Blomkamp is a big fan of Alien himself, having tinkered with pitching a new Alien a few years back. But, again, to be clear: everything we've heard of Creative Assembly's mysterious FPS says it isn't set in any other fictional world.
The director has also previously mused about wanting to make a mech game, which would still entirely jive with my prediction about Creative Assembly's game. His company, Oats Studios, sell short films on Steam too.
In short, MYSTERIES. But growing marginally less mysterious. And probably about a half-criminal, half-cop mech.