''Xenonauts 2'' is an upcoming

turn-based tactics Turn-based tactics (TBT), or tactical turn-based (TTB), is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally sm ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by Goldhawk Interactive and released on July 18, 2023 through

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

. It is the sequel to 2014's ''

Xenonauts ''Xenonauts'' is a turn-based science fiction video game developed and published as the maiden title of London-based independent game studio Goldhawk Interactive. Inspired by the 1994 game '' X-COM: UFO Defense'', gameplay involves the player tak ...

''.

Gameplay

''Xenonauts 2'' is a

. Like its predecessor, the player must command soldiers against an alien invasion.

Synopsis

''Xenonauts 2'' takes place in an

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

timeline during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, rather than being a chronological sequel to ''Xenonauts''. Though like its predecessor, ''Xenonauts 2'' is inspired by '' X-COM: UFO Defense.''

Development

In 2015, Goldhawk Interactive began prototyping and designing a potential sequel to their 2014 game ''

''. At the time, the possibility of ''Xenonauts 2'' becoming their next project was still under evaluation. The game was developed using the

Unity game engine Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a Mac OS X game engine. The engine has since been gradually extended to support a var ...

. It makes use of 3D graphics rather than the 2D sprites of its predecessor. The development team's main concern with the transition to 3D graphics was whether they could create an art style that looked good and replicated the sprites from the original game. The use of 3D graphics enables features such as objects with physics behavior and rotating the camera angle. Setting the game in an alternate timeline meant that humanity would not possess the advanced alien technology from ''Xenonauts''. The developers believed that this decision gave them the freedom to alter the story, setting and enemies to craft a more interesting game. They also set out to redesign the aliens for the sequel. Project lead, Chris England remarked that he wanted them to be both visually and mechanically more interesting than in ''Xenonauts''.

Release

In February 2016, Goldhawk officially announced ''Xenonauts 2'', with the game scheduled to be released in 2017. In November 2016, Goldhawk began distributing free development builds of ''Xenonauts 2'' with fortnightly updates. The demo was later released on distribution service

GOG.com GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through its ...

in February 2017. They wanted to get feedback from the player community before charging for an in-development version of the game through the

Steam Early Access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

program. Goldhawk launched a

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crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

campaign in July 2018, the funding goal was reached within 8.5 hours. A closed beta was released on November 28, 2018, for Kickstarter backers who pledged £25 or more. In the announcement of the closed beta, the developers stated that the game would enter

Early Access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

in March 2019. In June 2023, Goldhawk announced that the game would be released for PC via

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

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and GOG on July 18, 2023.

References

External links

* {{X-COM, state=expanded Alternate history video games Cold War video games Early access video games Hooded Horse games Single-player video games Turn-based tactics video games Upcoming video games Video game sequels Video games about extraterrestrial life Video games developed in the United Kingdom Windows games Windows-only games