New Riddick game coming next spring

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.