Phoenix Point nails down September release date, will be on Xbox Game Pass for PC

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A strange new cinematic showcases the evolving nature of the alien enemy in Julian Gollop's spiritual successor to X-COM.

Phoenix Point, the upcoming X-COM-alike being developed by original X-COM creator Julian Gollop (technically Snapshot Games, the studio he co-founded in 2013), will be out on September 3, the developer announced today. And with the new date now carved in stone, it also released a new cinematic video illustrating the changing nature of the war against the alien invaders. 

It's a little weird, and I half-expected that it was building to a punchline of some sort. But it's symbolic, you see: Enemy forces will mutate over the course of the game, giving them new appearances and abilities that you'll have to deal with in the field. Your own soldiers will also be customizable to various extents, through base classes and specialization options, and also by belonging to one of the game's three major human factions. 

"Led by a massive Alien Queen, the game’s enemies transform and evolve according to the choices players make over time," Snapshot explained. "Given the power to mutate their own troops to gain an advantage, Earth’s last desperate defenders will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to sacrifice to save mankind from this ever-changing extraterrestrial threat." 

Interestingly, Phoenix Point was announced as an Epic Games Store exclusive in March, but Snapshot said today that it will also be available on the Microsoft Store, and will be included with the Xbox Game Pass, which went into open beta this week. The system requirements have also been posted on the EGS: 

Minimum: 

  • OS: Windows 7 SP1+ (64-bit), 8, and 10
  • CPU: Intel Core i3 / AMD Phenom II X3
  • RAM: 8GB
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 / AMD Radeon R9 270
  • DirectX: DX11

Recommended:

  • OS: Windows 7 SP1+ (64-bit), 8, and 10
  • CPU: Intel Core i5 3GHz / AMD FX series 3.2GHz
  • RAM: 16GB
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon R9 390X
  • DirectX: DX11

Gollop shared some thoughts with us about his vision for Phoenix Point earlier this year. It sounds very promising.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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