"It's an obvious kind of a thought," says Irrational Games co-founder Jon Chey. "What if XCOM wasn't a turn-based game? What if you were one of the operatives, as opposed to just clicking on a map with them?"
It's a question that wound up defeating Irrational. Renowned as one of the most creative outfits in the history of gaming, the developer conceived BioShock and its cloud-surfing sequel, Infinite, alongside deeper cuts like SWAT 4, Freedom Force and System Shock 2. But it never quite got a handle on its XCOM shooter. The winding path and dead ends of XCOM's development eventually contributed to the departure of senior figures from Irrational's Australian studio. But as you'll hear, that creative spark was never diminished. And today, all those bold experiments and prototypes have led to a spiritual successor that finally accomplishes what Chey and his colleagues were reaching for.
