Alien: Covenant, according to Fox representatives, will not only mark Ridley Scott’s proper return to the series, but will also mark the series’ proper return to virtual after the early VR demo of the Alien: Isolation game. Alien: Covenant is supposed to be a return to all of the gore, tension, scares, and general insanity that made the first few Alien films into the cult classics they are today, and if the attached trailer, which is obviously not safe for work, is any indication, anybody remotely interested in the franchise should probably mark their calendar for May 19th. That said, the VR experience is being developed by Fox’s in-house VR team, alongside MPC VR and Ridley Scott’s own studio, so it promises to carry all of the distinct magic of the film, with the unique sort of horror that only VR can deliver.
Information on exactly how the VR tie-in to the movie will go is scarce to say the least, but it was described by those involved as being plenty scary and bringing users into the Alien universe. To get a feel for just how it may turn out, the best thing to do is to look to previous VR film tie-ins from Fox, and to look to previous Alien games. Alien: Isolation, the most famous and successful Alien game in recent memory, revolved around keeping away from a nigh-omnipresent foe that you had very little power to fight against, and using your wits to get out of close scrapes and direct encounters. The most recent Fox movie VR Tie In, on the other hand, was for The Martian, was developed by the same studio bringing us this tie-in, and was a highly immersive and detailed walk through the daily life of the titular astronaut.
All evidence points to a VR game that will match the general feel of the film. Fans can probably expect a lot of tension and dread, punctuated by spurts of action with tons of gore. The Martian’s VR tie-in hit the Oculus and Vive ecosystems, so the same fate will probably befall the Alien: Covenant VR experience, though with Playstation VR out, a release there is certainly possible.