X-Com 'Re-Imagined' as Xenonauts by Indie Dev

Following word that franchise owner 2K Games is "re-imagining" the turn-based tactical series X-COM as a first-person shooter dubbed XCOM, independent developer Goldhawk Interactive has announced a more traditional (and unofficial) re-imagining of its own: Xenonauts.

The studio wasn't planning to unveil the game--its first effort--until later but "large amounts of X-Com fans are understandably a little put out that the sequel will not be in the format that they know and love... this seemed a great time for us to pop our heads up and say hello." As it explained:

Xenonauts is neither a sequel to X-Com, nor a remake of it. While it shares the same core mechanics that made the original so compelling, Xenonauts has been reinvented and re-imagined from the ground up to fit modern times. The result is a game with a fresh setting and story, a streamlined interface and updated game mechanics with countless new features.

Billed as a "strategic planetary defence simulation," the single-player game is currently expected to hit PC around Christmas 2010, with Goldhawk offering word that "ports will be considered closer to release." Thanks for the all the tips, folks.