Xbox Addict

New Syndicate Game Finally Confirmed

At long last, Electronic Arts confirmed what we all have known for quite some time: Starbreeze is working on a revival of the classic Syndicate franchise.
 Back in early 2008, EA announced that it was working with Starbreeze to reinvent an "acclaimed classic franchise" of EA’s for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. It didn’t give any indication as to what series it was, though later that year we heard rumors it was a new Syndicate game. In March 2010, one of Starbreeze’s two projects with EA, a new game from the Robert Ludlum’s Bourne franchise, had been canceled. A series of trademark filings over the course of the year reinforced that a Syndicate game was the other game it still had coming, and a source had confirmed that Project RedLime was indeed a new Syndicate.
 
"We are excited to finally reveal what we’ve been working on the past couple years," said Starbreeze CEO Mikael Nermark. "It’s been a great experience working with EA, and an amazing opportunity for us to use our expertise in the first person shooter and action genres to bring back, and reignite, the signature action/espionage gameplay of Syndicate."
 
The original Syndicate was an isometric, real-time action/tactical game made by Bullfrog Productions in 1993. It began as a PC and Commodore Amiga game before being ported to a number of other platforms; a sequel, Syndicate Wars, was released in 1996. The game is set in a cyberpunk-style future as the player controls a team of cyborgs tasked with going around assassinating targets, rescuing allies, and so on. Peter Molyneux, now better known for the Fable series and his accompanying over-the-top promises, was among its developers.
 
The new game ditches the old isometric view in favor of a first-person shooter framework, not unlike the move made with the new XCOM. Weapons, environments, and even some missions from the old game will be brought back with the addition of four-player co-op meant to mimic the team of four cyborgs from the original.
 
Today’s press release sets up the story:

Set in 2069, Syndicate takes players into a dark, Machiavellian world run without government oversight with many syndicates vying for total dominance of their local market place. With no one to question their intentions or actions, three mega corporations -- Eurocorp, Cayman Global, and Aspari -- are at the forefront of this brutal war for control of the pivotal American market. In the world of Syndicate, everything is digitally connected, including the people. Players aren’t limited to the weapons in their hands. Through DART 6 bio-chip technology implanted in their head, players can slow down time and breach the digital world around them to take down their foes using a variety of upgradable hacking mechanics. Syndicate’s blend of fast-paced, futuristic, action shooter settings and story combined with innovative chip breach gameplay instantly immerses players in a unique digital world.
 Today’s reveal was actually spoiled over the weekend when an Origin listing for the game was published early, leading to the leak of the small screenshots seen below and on the next page (courtesy of NeoGAF).
 Developer Starbreeze was responsible for the two Chronicles of Riddick games -- Escape From Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena -- as well as The Darkness. The latter’s sequel is being handled by Digital Extremes.
 
Syndicate, as the new game will simply be called, is scheduled for release early next year on 360