The forever-rumored reboot of EA's Syndicate franchise, originally created by the defunct Bullfrog Productions in 1993, is real. First gameplay details and a handful of screen shots have just allegedly leaked from Electronic Arts' Origin store, giving us our first glimpse at developer Starbreeze's new game.
While the original Syndicate was a real-time tactical game played from an isometric view, the new Syndicate is—unsurprisingly—a "visceral first-person shooter experience," according to the game's description. Set in the year 2069, Syndicate puts players in a world "no longer governed by politicians," but "divided up into regions controlled by megacorporations known as Syndicates."
"These Syndicates have revolutionized how the consumer interacts with the digital world," reads the game description. "No longer does the consumer require a device to access the world's data and control their technology, they can do this at the blink of an eye via neural chip implant."
Business has become war in Syndicate, with "bio-engineered and chip-augmented enforcers" at the front line. Players will assume the role of Miles Kilo, an Agent of the Syndicate Eurocorp.
EA and Starbreeze tout "chip enhanced gameplay" that lets players slow time, see through walls and "interface directly with the Dataverse." It all sounds a bit like another recent sci-fi video game revival, Deus Ex: Human Revolution—which may not be such a bad thing. Read the game's full (and still unconfirmed) description below.
Syndicate is the re-imagination of a cult classic franchise from 1993 - a unique action shooter set in a not too distant future, where Business is War.
2069 – No longer governed by politicians, the developed world is divided up into regions controlled by megacorporations known as Syndicates. These Syndicates have revolutionized how the consumer interacts with the digital world. No longer does the consumer require a device to access the world's data and control their technology, they can do this at the blink of an eye via neural chip implant. Civilians flocked to be "chip'd" and enjoy all that their selected Syndicate has to offer; housing, medical, banking, insurance, education, entertainment and jobs. One complete package. One complete lifestyle. In return, the Syndicates gained unprecedented insights, and control, over the individual and their behaviour. With little governmental oversight, business has become war. The Syndicates will stop at nothing for ultimate market dominance. At the front line of this war are the Agents, the Syndicate's bio-engineered and chip-augmented enforcers. They can breach anything in the wired world including their enemies, their weapons and the environment that surrounds them, making them the most efficient and deadly technological weapons in the world.
Take on the role of Miles Kilo, Eurocorp's latest prototype agent, and embark on a brutal action adventure of corruption and revenge.
• Chip Enhanced Gameplay: Slow down time, see through walls, and breach your enemy and everything digital in the world with Dart vision – A neural DART6 chip implant that allows you to interface directly with the Dataverse.
• 4-Player Online Co-op: Assemble your Syndicate for global domination. A 4-player, online co-op experience like no other, with chip enhanced gameplay and 9 missions re-imagined from the original Syndicate.
• Visceral FPS Experience: Utilize an upgradable arsenal of futuristic weapons, armor and gear to annihilate your enemies and harvest their chip technology for personal advancement and sinister corporate greed.
• Sci-Fi Fiction: Immerse yourself in the world of Syndicate 2069, with a world-class sci-fi story experience, written by bestselling author Richard Morgan.
That's the same Richard Morgan responsible for the story of another EA-published game, Crytek's Crysis 2, and hardboiled cyberpunk novel Altered Carbon.
EA has not made its Syndicate plans official just yet—we're checking in with them to see if they'd like to confirm—but it appears that will change soon, as the game is suspected to be revealed in the coming weeks via Sweden's Game Reactor magazine, likely alongside other print publications.
Starbreeze's Syndicate - New Info And Screenshots Leaked [NeoGAF]
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