New Alien MMO shooter might be doomed, devs are getting sold twice

UPDATE: As of February 12, Cold Iron Studios is still working on the Alien game.

A new Alien multiplayer online shooter has been in development for years now, but the studio that's making it is about to get sold. Twice.

Back in September 2019, we reported that Cold Iron Studios, the devs behind the new unannounced Alien MMOFPS, could get sold. I predicted this could lead to significant disruptions for the game's development, namely with delays or even an outright cancellation. Now those reports have come true: Disney is selling FoxNEXT, the label that includes Cold Iron Studios.

Following acquisition of FOX and all of its IPs and subsidiaries, Disney is shedding key parts of the business. Disney has no interest in actually making games and instead wants to license them, ergo the sale of FoxNEXT. Disney is selling FoxNEXT to Scopely, a mobile gaming company that's only interested in its Marvel Strike Force team. Scopely plans to dissect Cold Iron Studious from FoxNEXT and sell the dev team again, meaning the studio behind the new Alien game is changing hands two times.

This could spell doom for the project, or at the very least lead to significant changes. It all depends on what the new owners want, what they are willing to fund, and other licensing/discretionary matters. Projects very rarely stay intact when studios change hands. Disney, for example, gutted Star Wars 1313 and cancelled it after acquiring LucasArts years ago.

I'm guessing that the licensing issues could be complicated, but Disney will work with Cold Iron and their final owner to ensure the Alien license is available for commercial game development purposes.

No gameplay or details have been revealed for the new Alien game. All we know is a brief snippet from a press release:

"FoxNext Games' studio, Cold Iron Studios, is also currently at work on a massively multiplayer online shooter set in the Alien cinematic universe for consoles and PC."

Cold Iron has been ramping up its workforce for months now and as of January 10, the team says the Alien game is still in the works. Whether or not it stays that way may be up to the studio's new owners.