The official web presence for the shooter/RPG variant of XCOM, a reboot concept that never seemed to capture gamers' imagination from the moment it was announced in 2010 through its E3 2011 appearance, and several delays thereafter, has been taken down and, further, the game's YouTube videos also have been set to private. 2K Games is not saying anything.


Digital Trends noticed the removal yesterday. In late March, Superannuation noted that Take-Two Interactive (2K's parent company) registered four domains that pointed to a rebranding of this game as "The Bureau."


A 2K Games representative refused comment to Polygon. I reached out to the same guy, just in case.

I saw the XCOM reboot at E3 two years ago and found it intriguing, though I'll cop to being a sucker for period pieces and having zero investment in the original series (I adored Enemy Unknown, nominating it for our GOTY, which it won.) If this is being taken offline or made over, that's disappointing. But it could be that Take-Two's decision is based less on the feedback, almost universally negative, from hardcore X-COM fans, and more on the strong and even surprising success that XCOM: Enemy Unknown has since seen. To have a markedly different game under the same nameplate could confuse customers or, worse, water down the brand, especially if an unproven concept comes in as a clunker.

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I'll also note that two weeks ago saw the end of a fiscal quarter, which is typically when things get axed. Take-Two will discuss its quarterly performance in May, and titles planned for release in the coming year.


Something is Going on with the XCOM Shooter [Digital Trends]