As promised, 2K Games has officially announced a release date for the upcoming tactical-shooter ‘The Bureau: XCOM Declassified’. Here are the details for the new game, which is coming out this summer.
The official release date for the game will be August 20, 2013 in North America, three days later for UK, on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The game will take place in 1962 during the Cold War, The Bureau will take players through the origin story of the XCOM organisation’s “first encounter with a mysterious and devastating enemy”.
2K Games talks about the early XCOM initiative in a press-release sent out this morning stating, “Originally established as America’s covert defense against the Soviet Union, The Bureau must adapt and overcome a threat unlike anything the world has faced before”. Players will assume the role of William Carter, as they “call the shots and pull the trigger, leading their squad of agents in the high-stakes secret war for humanity’s survival”.
“We’re thrilled about 2K Marin’s refined vision for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The game has evolved through a creative and iterative development process, and the result is a narrative-driven experience that is smart, engaging, and challenges players to think tactically.”
“The Bureau tells the story of XCOM’s mysterious beginnings,” said Morgan Gray, creative director at 2K Marin. “We’re expanding the universe with a declassified tale of government conspiracy and heroic cover-ups told through third-person tactical gameplay.”
In the spirit of the XCOM franchise, The Bureau’s calculated combat design requires players to think and act tactically. The game’s third-person perspective gives the player a sense of spatial awareness and grants them the freedom to transition in and out Carter’s unique Battle Focus ability seamlessly – heightening the tactical shooter action. The Bureau also fully embraces the concept of permanent consequence. As our last line of defense, every command can mean the difference between life and death for Carter, his squad and mankind.
“The team has been working hard to leverage core XCOM elements like tactical decision-making and permanent death of squad mates in a purposeful way that makes this a unique tactical shooter,” added Gray. “To that end, The Bureau will challenge players unlike any other third-person tactical shooter.”
