X2: The Return Makes Way For X3 News

News from our friends at EgoSoft has gone a little quiet in recent months, with doubt and suspicion encircling the development of X2: The Return â?“ the eagerky awaited expansion pack to the popular space-sim X2: the Threat.

However today we can finally clarify the situation with confirmation that the expansion pack has been cancelled... however X2 fans donâ??t need to find the nearest tall building just of yet, as thereâ??s a bit of good news to go along with the surprise decision.

Originally scheduled for release during April, X2: The Return quietly slipped down the calendar, but as the team worked on this a splinter group began work on the technology that would drive the next title in the series X3.

Development on this occurred at such a quick pace that the team decided to cancel X2: the Return and put all of their efforts into X3; and the results appear to have paid off as X3: Reunion should find a release during Q3 2005.

Billed as the â??next-generationâ? in the X universe, immersing players into the most realistic, living universe, ever experienced. The engine behind X3: Reunion takes full advantage of the latest DirectX9 technology and Shader support to create dynamic visual effects and stunningly realistic starships.

EgoSoft promise that the economy model within X3: Reunion is more complex then any previous X game, which coupled with the advancements in AI will present the player with an ever-changing, evolving universe, where a playerâ??s decisions shape the outcome of the universe.

The news also confirms the rumours of a console version that has been in the works, and while we cannot yet confirm exactly which platform, itâ??s hardly the most taxing dilemma to guess which one.

"X³: REUNION will see another huge leap in the evolution of space trading gamesâ? said Bernd Lehahn, CEO EGOSOFT. â??The decision to bring X³ forward, allows for many community ideas to be implemented. X² set a bench mark to be beaten. X³: REUNION will surpass this in every way possible."

TVG was following the development of X2: The Return closely in a series of Developer Diaries; however you can rest assured that weâ??ll continue these with the change over to X3: Reunion and weâ??ll have more information very shortly....