Aliens and Predators still relevant, say Sega and Rebellion

Aliens and Predators may have been de rigueur back in the 80s, but they're just as relevant now as they ever were, AvP dev Tim Jones told us at GamesCom.

"I think it's still very much relevant to the younger audience," said the Rebellion man.

"The comics and graphic novels still sell well, and the recent movies, the AvP and AvP2 movies, have reached a wide audience in many respects. They reached a bigger box office than the previous movies.

"I think there's a huge appetite out there for these characters and the universe we're exploring."

Sega's Rob Bartholemew added that the shooter's setting has been modernised over the classic films.

"The story itself is set 30 years on from Alien 3 in terms of age and timeline, so marine technology's moved on," he said.

"It's still recognisable, but you'll notice they they've got updated armour, slightly updated weapons. We're making it more contemporary in this game than... the 80s sci-fi that was inherent in some of the films."

AvP's out on 360, PS3 and PC early next year. Hit this for multiplayer details from Germany last week.