XCOM 3: release date, plot, eternal death, Breach
Fans of the sci-fi universe XCOM have long been waiting for the release of the third main sequel of this cult franchise. Here we have collected facts, rumors, opinions and wishes about the release of XCOM 3.
News and rumors about XCOM 3
Over the past few years, various game reviewers have no doubt that XCOM 3 is already in development, and the creators of the game themselves gave reasons for this. Three years ago, Firaxis was looking for new employees to strengthen the XCOM development team, however, that could be related to the development of XCOM Chimera Squad, a spin-off from the main game released in April 2020. Previous of the main versions of the game, XCOM 2, was released in February 2016. GINX points out that, since the release of the original X-COM: UFO Defense in 1994, approximately 4 years passed between releases of the main parts of the game. However, more than 6 years have passed since the release of XCOM 2. Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has postponed the release of many game projects, so the delay is understandable. But what is happening with the game now, is it being worked on?
At Summer Games Fest 2022, Firaxis project lead Garth DeAngelis mentioned in an interview with PCGames that XCOM "absolutely" has a future. Leaks from the NVIDIA GeForce Now database also named the game among the projects to be released in the coming years, although this information has never been officially confirmed.
So when can XCOM 3 release can happen?
The lack of official word on the progress of the game, let alone the lack of a trailer, indicates that we need to be patient and expect the game to release no earlier than mid-to-late 2024 or even early 2025.
Is there anything known about XCOM 3 plot?
One can only make assumptions about the plot of the future release. It is not known if the new game will continue the Chimera Squad plot twist, in which humans and some of the alien races now coexist peacefully together, and not antagonistic, as was the case in previous series of the franchise.
What will the gameplay and map look like?
In Chimera Squad, you have a fixed unit that is not affected by Eternal Death. Most experts advocate a return to XCOM 3 of the Eternal Death for squad members and at the same time agree on the assumption that new Breach feature (when you break down the door or jump out the window and thus announce your arrival), introduced in Chimera Squad, will move from it to XCOM 3. Also it is very likely in XCOM 3 will be a more compact map size.
XCOM alike new games
Curiously, even without being updated for several years, XCOM remains on the buzz thanks to the periodic release of games resembling it, so we can say that this game marked a whole trend. So, a recently released Miasma Chronicles was recorded as a "far relative" of XCOM, and for Aliens: Dark Dark Descent (released on June 20 2023) that received mixed reviews and is undergoing bug fixes, the XCOM saga is also mentioned as a guideline.
