New Riddick game coming next spring

By Ellie Gibson Published 30 October, 2008

Will feature an entirely new campaign.

Atari has picked up the publishing rights to The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.

Sierra was originally due to do the honours, back when Dark Athena was billed as a remake of Escape from Butcher Bay.

Since then Sierra has fallen in the toilet, and Atari has had a rethink about the content.

According to the press release, Assault on Dark Athena it will feature "a brand new full-length campaign", representing "an entirely new chapter in the Riddick saga".

That means new storylines, characters and locations, though of course you'll still play as Riddick. Stealth and action will be the order of the day as you take on the merciless crew of Merc ship Dark Athena.

"Spectacular battles" are promised, along with "a storm of malevolence and horror". Not to mention "intense online multiplayer combat" for the first time ever.

There's still a remake element to the whole thing, however - apparently the original game has been "re-imagined for a whole new audience".

"It's very exciting to have Assault on Dark Athena as part of Atari's 2009 publishing line-up," said a very excited Phil Harrison.

"The first game in the series was a landmark in action gaming and the outstanding team at Starbreeze are creating a feature-packed follow-up which will delight fans and new players alike."

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is down for a spring 2009 release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • tafkap #1 3 years ago

    Ooh..great news. I loved the first game, one of the few I completed.

    Bring it on!

  • krudster #2 3 years ago

    I am *officially* excited.

  • Doctor_What #3 3 years ago

    Brilliant! I've been trying to get news about this since I heard about the publisher's problems. Riddick: EFBB was one of the two games on the original Xbox that I really wanted to play (the other being Stranger's Wrath). When I got a 360 I was very excited about picking up an old copy... Until I found that the backwards compatability didn't cover Riddick: EFBB (it turns out that it doesn't cover Stranger's Wrath either).

    It's great that this will finally come out. That'll definitely be on my watch list for 2009.

  • Ignatius_Cheese #4 3 years ago

    Hooray! \o/

  • asphaltcowboy #5 3 years ago

    Ok, very exciting, but does that mean the original game is there as well as a whole new campaign?

  • barchetta #6 3 years ago

    As indicated in forum thread... ;)

    screenie

  • septimus #7 3 years ago

    Loved the first one, and would appreciate it's re-release on Live.... but this, Atari, "re-imagining".... they never go that well.

    Indeed, if not StarBreeze I can't see this being good.

  • brainbird #8 3 years ago

    "If Starbreeze is not working on this, it will probably suck Vin Diesel's balls."

    Well, Starbreeze IS working on it, as the article clearly states (albeit almost at the end of it). Good news.

    edit: Wait, Spring 2009 release date? That's very soon. Something's fishy.
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/08 @ 10:25

  • KillallHippies #9 3 years ago

    I initially complained that the first one was too short, but it's not shorter than most other shooters.
    The problem methinks is that i enjoyed it so much that i played it through in one sitting.

    Escape from Butcher Bay was better than either Pitch Black or Chronicles of Riddick.

  • kangarootoo #10 3 years ago

    Good news that Starbreeze is working on it.

    The Riddick name is not why Butcher Bay was a great game (one of the best of the XBox imo); it was just simply a very well put together title (except for the shit zombie maze bit, which was apparently Vin's idea). Another Riddick game could be complete arse just as easily (if not more) than it could be good, but Starbreeze bring a heavy ladle of confidence to my mind.

  • Anthony_UK #11 3 years ago

    I read that as the game being a re-jigged version of the first game, to pass it off as something new.... Loved the first game, whether or not I want to pay £40 to play a slightly different version in 'hi-def' is another thing entirely!

  • mechamonkey #12 3 years ago

    It's going to be shit isnt it..

    Please dont be, Butcher Bay is one of my all time favourite games, please, please dont fuck it up.

  • mfnick #13 3 years ago

    Best news ive heard in a hell of a long time.

    *Wets self with excitement*

  • waffle #14 3 years ago

    you should probably see a doctor about that, could be socially problematic in later life.

  • mfnick #15 3 years ago

    They told me the only cure is to tie it in a not. 'Fuck that' I said. Social problems inbound.
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/08 @ 11:52

  • john_silence #16 3 years ago

    Atari come-back FTW! Didn't they say the time of massive single-player action/adventure games like Alone in the Dark was over though? Or was that another branch of Atari? Anyway, excitement excitement.

  • BobsUncle #17 3 years ago

    Chronicles of Riddick had the best menu ever. That spinny cube thing was awesome. I much prefered this game to Halo, but that's fuel for another fire...

  • bad09 #18 3 years ago

    \o/

  • smurphs #19 3 years ago

    @asphaltcowboy "does that mean the original game is there"

    I seriously doubt it now, which is a real shame, as I never got to play the original and decided to hold off for the hi-res port they originally stated would come.

  • Triggerhappytel #20 3 years ago

    Best game Atari will ever publish?

    Going by EFBB - probably. Let's hope they give it the marketing push it needs and deserves.

  • Eraysor #21 3 years ago

    If it's similar to the last one it will be both a truly awesome game and completely ignored by most people.

  • Darren #22 3 years ago

    Ah right... I was wondering what had happened to that game. It was awesome on the Xbox and even more super awesome on the PC, thanks to the Director's Cut, commentary and improved visuals. It's a short game at 7 hours-ish but there's absolutely no filler whatsoever. Not only is this one of the finest first person games (only surpassed by BioShock really), it's also one of the best movie licensed games too. I'll probably pick it up again on the 360 as it is that good.

  • Super_Zee #23 3 years ago

    Hmm - if "re-imagined for a whole new audience" means "more like Halo", then I'll be really disappointed. EFBB was my favourite Xbox game and the pace was really important. I was holding out for a straight remake with some additional bells and whistles.

  • Postumo #24 3 years ago

    LOVED the first one, i want this now!

  • undergroundJMT #25 3 years ago

    I thought the first one was extremely overrated. Felt a little to shallow to me, and I certain parts were quite boring.

    Just my opinion though, I know many loved it.

  • curtlikesmeat #26 3 years ago

    Have Sierra gone bust? They've been around for ages.

    Also, WTB new Riddick movie please.

  • the_mtfr #27 3 years ago

    For a new audience? MORONS! Why? Wasn't that EFBB style good enough? Now they're gonna make it glossy and shiny like f-ing Spore and Fable 2, with possiblity to "import your own sim". At least, I trust Starbreeze, one of the best developers ever.

    @curtlikesmeat Sierra have been busted for years, since then they are just a logo/brand/trademark of some big player, Vivendi maybe but I'm not sure.
    Edited by 1 at 01/11/08 @ 16:58

  • curtlikesmeat #28 3 years ago

    Oh right, bummer..... I think I knew that but had wiped it from memory. I guess that means no Space Quest 7 (or 8, I forget that too).

  • SunoffaBeach #29 3 years ago

    EFBB = FPS for real pros

    if you hate EFBB go play halo stick it up you noob ass!