X3: Albion Prelude announced, coming Dec. 15

Developer Egosoft has announced X3: Albion Prelude, a new add-on that promises to bridge the gap between 08/09's X3: Terran Conflict and the upcoming X Rebirth.

The X3: Terran Conflict add-on is planned to launch on December 15 for the PC and Mac and boasts an "improved user interface" and "more than 30 new ships and stations." X3: Albion Prelude also features a Stock Exchange feature, allowing players to speculate and play local markets to increase their wealth.

"Some improved graphical quality settings" have been promised for the game running on high-end machines; however, those looking for savegame compatibility with X3: Terran Conflict will be disappointed. "It is important to note that X3: Albion Prelude will NOT feature savegame compatibility with X3: Terran Conflict," the announcement press release bluntly states.

X3: Albion Prelude (click to open gallery)

Owners of the X Superbox bundle will get the game for free, while X3: Terran Conflict owners can purchase the game at the "add-on" price of €9.99. The add-on will also be available as a bundle with X3: Terran Conflict. Egosoft also plans to release the add-on at retail in early 2012.

Shacknews has contacted Egosoft for details on the North American price and release, but have yet to hear back at the time of publishing.

X3: Albion Prelude reveals an X Universe in flux - the simmering tensions and conflict of ideologies between Earth and the X Universe's Commonwealth has escalated into a war on a scale never before witnessed in the X Universe. With the fleets of the X Universe's main races battling the forces of Earth, corporations old and new gain an increasingly large stake in the future direction of the X Universe. Corporate expansion and technological breakthroughs will provide the X Universe with a quantum leap forward in economic development, but the road to the new status quo is a rocky one and only the bold or ruthless will make the whole journey.

More details are available on the official Egosoft blog.