It sure looks like Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is in development, and it could be set for a surprise launch before the end of the year. While this apparent sequel to Cold Iron Studios' 2021 blaster hasn't been officially announced yet, it has seemingly been rated by the ESRB.
As spotted by Gematsu (via PCGamesN) a listing for Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 briefly appeared on the website for the ESRB—the US' entertainment ratings body. The page, which has since been taken down, awarded Fireteam Elite 2 a "Mature" rating for "Blood and Gore, Strong Language and Violence" (sounds like an Aliens game!).
The page also mentioned the sequel was being published by Daybreak Games Company (as opposed to Focus Entertainment, the original game's publisher) and that it's coming to PC as well as PS5 and Xboxes large and small. Since games only tend to get rated close to release, this would suggest that a surprise launch for Fireteam Elite 2 is imminent.
Of course, the rating could be some weird mistake, but the info that was displayed on the page tracks with rumours surrounding a possible sequel, as well as statements previously made by both Cold Iron and Daybreak. In October 2023, Cold Iron explained it "in full development on a new title" with the aim of "building on the success of Aliens: Fireteam Elite," though it didn't specify this would be a direct sequel.
Last year, a presentation detailing Fireteam Elite 2 seemingly leaked onto reddit. According to this presentation, the sequel—codenamed Project Macondo—would feature a new story campaign, levels with "alternate paths" and aliens displaying "evolved enemy intelligence and behaviours."
Daybreak, meanwhile, stated in 2023 that it would serve as publisher on Cold Iron's next game, describing this as an "exciting new multiplayer action shooter based on a major global IP license." It also revealed this game was due to release "in 2025", which tracks with the ESRB's recent rating.
I certainly wouldn't mind Cold Iron taking a second stab at Aliens-based blasting. While no masterpiece, the original was a decent cooperative shooter, with Robert Zak awarding it a score of 73 in his Aliens: Fireteam Elite review.
"Yes, it plays into the trashy rather than the artful side of its franchise," he conceded back in 2021. "But it embraces it, doing a better job of capturing that action-movie intensity than most past efforts." Hopefully this sequel, which seems pretty darned likely to exist, can refine and expand upon the foundations laid by that first game.
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