Alien: Isolation is finally getting a sequel

With the 10th anniversary of the sci-fi horror masterwork Alien: Isolation upon us, creative director Al Hope has announced that the sequel fans have been pining for is finally going to happen.

"When we started developing Alien: Isolation, we had one guiding principle: To create a truly authentic experience that went back to the roots of the Alien franchise—a new story capturing the atmosphere and terror of the original 1979 movie masterpiece," Hope wrote. 

"It's been nothing short of incredible to witness your passion for the game over the years and see it reach so many players around the world. Your boundless enthusiasm, excitement, screams (!) and steely courage in the face of cinema's greatest killer, have been profoundly rewarding."

Creative Assembly did indeed nail it with Alien: Isolation. We called it "the game the Alien series has always deserved" in our 93% review, "A deep, fun stealth game set in an evocatively realised sci-fi world." 

It wasn't a huge seller though, and as the years rolled by, hopes for a sequel dwindled: In fact, in what will probably be the week's finest example of incredibly unfortunate timing, just a few hours before the announcement was made online editor Fraser Brown said in a 10th anniversary retrospective that "despite its critical success and the many accolades it's garnered over the years, the below-expectation sales and high cost of development made it a one-off." Sorry, Fraser.

On the other hand, this is probably one of those instances where we're all happier to be wrong. An Alien: Isolation sequel is long overdue, and hopefully the enduring strength of the original will help ensure that this time it doesn't end up overlooked.

There's no indication as to when Alien: Isolation 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) will arrive, but expect a wait: Hope said the sequel is currently "in early development," and there are no other details. It's definitely real, though: Lest there be any doubt, Hope's message was quickly shared by Creative Assembly, the developer of the original.