In a surprise announcement, 2K and Firaxis Games unveiled a brand new entry to the XCOM franchise today. Titled XCOM: Chimera Squad, the title will be set five years after the events of XCOM 2 though it won"t be a full-on sequel, being more of a smaller scale spin-off. Check out the story and gameplay trailer above.
The story has players taking control of a human and alien cooperative effort that aims to stabilize a post-invasion world, where battles are still ongoing against forces that are against the "interspecies alliance".
Ditching the procedurally generated squad members from the normal series, Chimera Squad will issue the commander 11 pre-made human and alien agents with special abilities and personalities that are unique to them.
There"s a new combat phase named Breach Mode as well, where players will be choosing how their squad members are placed around entry points before the action starts for an explosive opening. Moreover, turns will now alternate between allies and enemies every time an individual completes their actions, instead of the team-based mechanic seen in previous games.
XCOM: Chimera Squad will be releasing on April 24 via Steam. There is a steep pre-order and launch discount currently attached to the title too, bringing it down by 50% to $9.99 until May 1. Interestingly, this isn"t the only turn-based tactical combat title releasing this month, as Microsoft is readying its own spin-off: Gears Tactics.