2K Marin's XCOM shooter game may be rebranded to The Bureau

2K Games has been completely quiet about its other XCOM game. According to Digital Trends, the company seems to have pulled down the websites related to the action-based XCOM game. On attempting to visit the game's website, visitors are greeted with a 404 error.

While it is possible that the company may be facing some problems with its servers, it is worth noting that the websites for Firaxis' strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, is still working fine. The XCOM action game may be rebranded as something else, as reports state that 2K Games has registered some new domains, namely, thebureau-game.com, thebureau-game.net, whathappenedin62.com, and whathappenedin62.net. Since the XCOM shooter is set in 1962, it is likely that it will be rebranded as The Bureau.

Is 2K ditching the XCOM moniker?

Back in October 2012, there were hints that the originally-planned-to-be-FPS XCOM game would instead be a squad-based third person shooter in the vein of the old SOCOM games. The hints came from a bunch of leaked screenshots.

Judging by the screenshots, the game seems to be keeping the 60s setting of the original games. It is supposedly being pitched as a squad-based shooter with the player in control of a squad of agents that have to take down the alien threat. One major issue with the screenshots is that the textures seem to be of a very low quality.

We reviewed the other XCOM game, dubbed XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and loved it. Here is a description of the game according to its offical website: “Threatened by an unknown enemy, the Earth’s governments unite to form an elite paramilitary organization, known as XCOM, to combat this extraterrestrial attack. As the commander of XCOM, you control the global defense team in a battle against a terrifying alien invasion by creating a fully operational base, researching alien technologies, planning combat missions, and controlling soldier movement in battle.”

Firaxis' love for the franchise reflects in what Steve Martin, President of the studio says, “It’s been a dream of ours to recreate X-COM with our unique creative vision. We’re huge fans of the original game and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-envision a game that is as beloved as X-COM. We were careful to keep XCOM: Enemy Unknown true to the elements that made X-COM such a revered game while delivering an entirely new story and gameplay experience for both die-hard X-COM fans and newcomers to the franchise”.