Since the release of Alien: Isolation, I have yearned for a follow-up every single day. Now, over ten years later, a sequel is actually in the works. Although the creative minds at Creative Assembly hoped for this to occur sooner, it took a significant shift in Hollywood before the project received the greenlight.
While Alien: Isolation garnered critical acclaim and built a substantial fanbase, its sales figures upon launch in late 2014 were not particularly strong. Consequently, there was little urgency from stakeholders to back a sequel. However, everything changed in 2019 when Disney completed its acquisition of 20th Century Studios, marking one of the most impactful mergers in pop culture history. This acquisition created a whirlwind of changes regarding intellectual properties.
Industry Insights and Developer Ambitions
Glen Schofield, the mind behind Dead Space, expressed interest in creating an Alien-themed title, emphasizing the necessity of owning the project’s creative direction.
Dion Lay, co-writer of Alien: Isolation, shared insights on the FRVR Podcast, stating, “I know that everyone wanted to do it. I think it was always like, ‘Could it happen?’ But I think that Disney buying Fox made it a lot more possible, just because I think Disney seemed to be doing a push on, like, right let’s get all these IPs and do something with them and get them running again.” His words highlight how the acquisition catalyzed renewed interest in the franchise.
Since Disney took over the rights to the Xenomorph franchise, there has been no shortage of activity. We’ve seen the release of at least three new games in the past five years: Fireteam Elite, Dark Descent, and Rogue Incursion. On the cinematic front, Alien: Romulus recently hit theaters, while Alien: Earth just wrapped up on Disney Plus. With all of this going on, the announcement of a second Isolation becomes all the more exciting.
Looking Ahead: Alien: Isolation 2
Creative Assembly officially announced Isolation 2 last October during the 10th anniversary celebrations of the original game. Let’s rally together in support of this exciting new venture! I’m particularly thrilled to see that Alien: Isolation 2 will serve as a sequel rather than a mere remake, emphasizing that survival horror still has a bright future beyond simply revisiting past successes.