X2 is dead, long live X3

Bad news for those of you eagerly awaiting X2: The Return: Egosoft has officially cancelled the planned expansion pack. But cheer up, cos here's the good news - you can now look forward to a fully-fledged sequel instead.

Egosoft says the new game, entitled X3: Reunion, will "immerse the player in the most realistic living universe ever experienced", with a new game engine, improved visuals and an enhanced 'Artificial Life' system.

According to Egosoft, the decision came after the X2 development team found they couldn't implement all the ideas suggested by the fan community into the expansion. "With the development of the X3 engine moving at a rapid pace behind the scenes, the conception of a full, standalone game became the logical choice," said a statement.

"It's a brave move, but it's the right move in every way," added Deep Silver representative David Blundell. "The fans have already embraced it and they haven't even seen the scale of what's going into the game."

A console version of X3 has also been announced, and rumour has it that the console in question will be Xbox. Deep Silver is promising an announcement "in the next couple of weeks".

X3: Reunion will appear on the PC this autumn.