I Am Alive now a PSN/XBL game – report

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 1 February, 2011

Due out this year.

Ubisoft has transformed exciting survival disaster game I Am Alive from a full retail release into a PlayStation Network and Xbox Live download game, according to a new report.

Posters on NeoGAF spotted a video from French website JeuxVideo in which Ubisoft executive Jade Raymond reveals that I Am Alive will launch as a digital download this year.

In January 2010, we learnt that I Am Alive wouldn't be released until sometime in or after April 2011. Developer Darkworks was booted off the project and I Am Alive was handed to Ubisoft's new Shanghai studio. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot mentioned the game was being "totally re-engineered", which could explain the switch to PSN and XBL.

In August 2009 the LinkedIn profile of Charles Gaudron, who listed himself as senior game designer at Darkworks, had the following in his summary section: "I Am Alive (PS3/X360, Ubisoft, 2011)". The release window was later removed.

Interestingly, Ubisoft's official I Am Alive website is currently down for maintenance. "Services will be restored at approximately 5pm GMT/12am EST," it says. Could an announcement be imminent?

Ubisoft told Eurogamer this morning "we have not recently announced anything for I Am Alive and we have nothing official to announce at this time".

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • djhsecondnature #1 1 year ago

    All Ubsioft sites/services are down, not just the I Am Alive page.

  • SeesThroughAll #2 1 year ago

    WarHawk all over again.

    Ambitious game could not be made within schedule, so cut it down a notch shocker.
    Edited by SeesThroughAll at 01/02/11 @ 16:40

  • midnight_walker #3 1 year ago

    Well that sucks. This was on my ' to rent' list. Now I guess it's in the 'don't bother with' list.

  • MasterNameless #4 1 year ago

    Well, that's a turn up for the books. Even though I like the idea, it makes me a little suspicious as to why they've made such an unusual move.

    Not happy with how the development's going? Not enough value for money for a full release?

  • BillMurray #5 1 year ago

    Bah! Was looking forward to this being a full release.

  • coolbritannia #6 1 year ago

    Still got relatively high hopes for this. Some of the best games on 360 are XBLA releases.

  • AdamAsunder #7 1 year ago

    Why is it that the games that end up in development hell have very apt titles? DNF? I am Alive?

    When the game finally gets a review build I will expect about a metric ton of 'It's Alive!' jokes.

    Awaits announcement and subsequent delays of 'AWOL' and 'Always On Time.'
    Edited by AdamAsunder at 01/02/11 @ 11:30

  • DigitalScars #8 1 year ago

    Saw the trailer 2 years ago and thought it looked promising, such a shame by the time it is released it will be cut down and most likely dated compared to other titles.

  • Jonathan_Fakenham #9 1 year ago

    StarHawk all over again.
    WarHawk?

    The first (and only?) trailer for this game sounded interesting, but it's kinda wierd how we've heard nothing about this game for years. I look forward to downloading the trial, and hope I will be amazed, but this game really ever was just a name.

  • ZuluHero #10 1 year ago

    It is a huge change in tact and i wonder how the scope and feel that was promised can be maintained.

    Still, a great game experience for 800-1200 points might be very nice indeed! As Coolbritannia pointed out, some of the most fun i've had with games have been PSN and XBLA offerings :)

  • jumpdeveraux #11 1 year ago

    Given the more diminuitive size of download titles perhaps this has been re-imagined and now occurs in a small village and rather than an earthquake a tree branch has fallen across the road leading to the village shop and all you have is a toblerone and half a roll of sellotape.... but you are still alive.

  • rotmm #12 1 year ago

    @coolbritannia, "...Some of the best games on 360 are XBLA releases."

    Yes, but those are generally games that were always going to be XBLA releases.

    WET was going to be a full release, then became a XBLA release. Let's hope that I Am Alive doesn't follow the same substandard path.

  • ZuluHero #13 1 year ago

    @rotmm

    Hydrophobia, not Wet ;)

  • andywilkie35 #14 1 year ago

    Sounds like it must be about two hours long then or something.

    Interest cancelled!

  • Spekingur #15 1 year ago

    As long as it isn't just a QTE game then it might have a chance.

  • metalangel #16 1 year ago

    The whole thing didn't make much sense to me. So Chicago is hit by a huge earthquake, and because of some sort of energy/financial/whatever crisis, the US Government sends an even worse response than it did to New Orleans (this is despite the city being shown functioning normally immediately before, no sign of a crisis).

    Then, however, you have your guy being terrorized by former colleagues for his bottled water, because anarchy has of course descended. Except:
    -why not just leave? Even if you are on the wrong side of the river (downtown) it's not hard to get across. Then just simply walk out of the city.
    -why are you killing each other for water? Lake Michigan is RIGHT THERE and is fresh. Go down to the beach and get some if you're that desperate.

    That could make a game in itself, I reckon. Picking your way across the rubble as you leave. Not as exciting as fighting fellow survivors, of course, but a lot more sensible.

  • VibratingDonkey #17 1 year ago

    Wow, we first heard of this game in like 2008? So roughly three years of development, at multiple studios. For a 1200P XBLA game.

    When my pre-order at Zavvi was canceled I imagined the game had been as well. But I guess this is one way to salvage something from the wasteful investment it appears to have been. Wonder what went wrong?

  • rotmm #18 1 year ago

    @ZuluHero,

    I stand corrected, cheers :)

  • spidermanalf #19 1 year ago

    Was looking forward to this. Loved the old ps2 games that were similar. As always will read the reviews and try the demo before purchasing. Unlike most people who read some news and cancel all orders, burn their console and shun Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo/Game Company for not doing exactly what they wanted.

  • BillMurray #20 1 year ago

    I'm sure I first heard about this game in 2005 :/

    I guess it just feels like I last heard about this so long ago.
    Edited by BillMurray at 01/02/11 @ 14:15

  • oceanmotion #21 1 year ago

    Blast from the past. Seemed quite interesting at the time.

    I imagine it's going to be a short game with stuff cut for DLC episodes.

  • gingerlink #22 1 year ago

    I remember seeing a trailer for this at Leipzig 08...damn that's a while ago

  • HermitArcader #23 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Toothball #24 1 year ago

    I'm less concerned with the distinction between retail and digital-only releases these day and more concerned with whether the game in question is any good. I've played enough good games that are download-only that I look at digital services as seriously as I do shops. I'm sure that many other gamers do to, but one day the rest of the market will catch up.

  • respectyourelder #25 1 year ago

    @Jonathan_Fakenham - LA Noire was in limbo for years, and it seems to be turning out alright... that said, it's a big strategy change to move it to digital download... my guess is, like others have said, there just wasn't enough in the concept to flesh out into a full on retail release.

  • SeesThroughAll #26 1 year ago

    @Jonathan_Fakenham:

    It was a mistake, a freudian slip if you will. Corrected my post now :D

    Indeed, I was referring to WarHawk, a notorious would-be launch PS3 single+multiplayer epic that eventually was trimmed down to a multiplayer only game because the project was not planned realistically in advance, and due to time shortage. I think it's comparable to this case.
    Edited by SeesThroughAll at 01/02/11 @ 16:43

  • TadejVig #27 1 year ago

    Also, fuck PC gamers.... thanks again.

  • Emmit_Assassin #28 1 year ago

    So much for the site coming back on at 5pm. It now reads "This website is currently undergoing maintenance. We currently do not have an ETA on restoration of services."
    Twats.

  • MattEdWithCheese #29 1 year ago

    doubt this will be as good as the epic; Disaster: Day of Crisis

    I told you...

    we can't save everyone!