Xbox Game Pass is going to host a brand-new sci-fi survival-horror FPS in 2027, and it’s coming from a tenured game development studio with a bunch of exciting, albeit smaller releases in its roster. While Xbox Game Pass has come under scrutiny as of late due to Xbox’s shaky leadership refresh, the recent Xbox Partner Preview showcase announced a whole host of very exciting future titles, so fans have lots to look forward to.
Specifically, the new Xbox Partner Preview provided information on an impressive array of games both new and old. While some of these have been present on other platforms, they are newcomers to Microsoft’s gaming subscription service still, like the upcoming Xbox Game Pass release of Hades 2. Beloved must-play experiences aside, this Partner Preview was arguably more exciting as a showcase of what’s to come, and the featured sci-fi horror FPS ticks all the right boxes.
Xbox Game Preservation and Backward Compatibility Initiative is Making a Big Comeback
The creative team at Xbox weighs the future of their company as they consider how much more the current console version can realistically grow.
Alien Deathstorm Is Rebellion’s Return to Aliens vs. Predator Form, and It’s Coming to Xbox Game Pass
Created by none other than Rebellion, Alien Deathstorm is the first entry in an entirely new first-person science-fiction horror IP due to release sometime in 2027. Much like Rebellion’s previous release, Atomfall, Alien Deathstorm is coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one, making it an excellent value add for all subscribers to the service. What’s fascinating about it is that it’s a kind of return to form for Rebellion, as the studio worked on the beloved and highly acclaimed Aliens vs. Predator games back in the 1990s. Atomfall itself is a competent survival experience, and although it’s imperfect and clunky in many ways, it did show that Rebellion’s got what it takes to push out something totally new and out-there.
Rebellion is best-known for its efforts with the Sniper Elite IP, specifically. The third-person WW2 sniping title might not be a full AAA production, but it’s a solid experience that doesn’t subscribe to some of AAA’s biggest trappings. Sniper Elite also overlaps a bunch with Atomfall, which suggests Rebellion’s older releases may inform how Alien Deathstorm might behave in 2027. From what screenshots and gameplay materials are on offer, the game looks like a tense combination of AvP proper and the modern Doom titles, which is an enticing combination for any FPS fan.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Rebellion’s head of design, Ben Fisher, spoke to Xbox Wire in a follow-up to the big Partner Preview event to explain how Alien Deathstorm ties in with the studio’s prior output. “If we had to describe it as anything it’s an ‘action horror’ game with a layer of constant threat and environmental discovery that fully supports the second-to-second ballistic action,” he said. All the classic features of old-school horror FPS games are present and accounted for, from the seemingly unnamed and potentially mute Combat Engineer protagonist to the tense balance between spooky exploration and high-octane combat, this may be the unexpected callback to some of the best Aliens vs. Predator games of all time.
For those who aren’t keen on using their subscription to shoot down alien horrors and escape from space super-storms, Xbox Game Pass is also getting games that riff on Stardew Valley. As per the new Partner Preview, there’s going to be no shortage of exciting and unexpectedly innovative experiences available for Game Pass subscribers. In the case of Alien Deathstorm in particular, players may be looking at Rebellion’s attempt to reinvigorate its roots and deliver something that rhymes with Aliens vs. Predator in some very interesting ways. Deathstorm‘s star-mouthed monstrosities might not have the troubling charm of Giger’s seminal xenomorphs, but that’s not to say they won’t make for an excellent menace in this particular game.
