XCOM shooter has "evolved", 2K confirms

The XCOM shooter announced three years ago has "evolved", 2K Games has confirmed.

The publisher will re-reveal the game in the coming days, 2K wrote on its site.

2K Marin's XCOM shooter, which has been re-branded to The Bureau, is a squad-based tactical shooter that has "undergone an evolution" since we last saw it at E3 in 2011.

"Firaxis' critically acclaimed turn-based strategy title, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, has reignited the classic franchise," 2K said, "and we feel that the time is right to deliver a new experience within the world of XCOM."

2K described the development of the game as a "collaborative process of discovery and iteration".

"2K's culture allows our studios the freedom to refine their visions, to explore new ideas, and to deliver the best possible experiences for players. Through this exploration, 2K Marin has refined their vision, and as a result the game has evolved into a high-stakes narrative experience imbued with core XCOM concepts."

In October 2012 a marketing survey suggested the XCOM shooter had been turned into a third-person squad-based affair for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Screenshots indicated you'd be able to order team-mates around the map to do your bidding, although it's unclear if you can switch characters and fully control squad folk.

The questionnaire asked players whether they would pay full price for the game or prefer the title to be a cheaper, downloadable affair.

2K's XCOM shooter was first revealed back at E3 2010, where it received a mixed response, and its release was subsequently delayed. Development was then switched to 2K Marin, described in the survey as "the same people who created BioShock 2".

The more traditional turn-based strategy XCOM: Enemy Unknown, by Firaxis, released last year to critical and commercial acclaim.