This weekend at a PAX East panel, Firaxis announced that it is in the process of porting its critically acclaimed strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown to iOS and that it will be available sometime this summer.

xcomios
While speaking with Joystiq, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Lead Designer Jake Solomon said that gamers can expect a similar experience to the console and PC versions of the game.

"It is a straight port. We have not made any gameplay exceptions," XCOM: Enemy UnknownLead Designer Jake Solomon told us. "You play the exact same game [as on PC or consoles], it's just now fully playable on an iPhone or an iPad."

Solomon also said that the game would include the Elite Soldier DLC and that the "full game" is being ported over to iOS devices. This would be a relatively major milestone for iOS gaming, as it represent a full port of a high-profile console and PC game that was released just six months ago.


The move comes a month after the game was announced for Mac with a launch date of April 25. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a re-imagining of the classic 1994 strategy game "X-COM: Enemy Defense" and was developed by Firaxis and published by 2K Games for consoles and PC.

In the game, players are tasked with leading secret government organization XCOM to defend the world against aliens. They oversee base management in addition to combat strategies while maintaining relationships with countries to fund their organization and save the world.

Although no price has been announced, Soloman said that it will be at a "premium price point," which would likely put it in the $15 range.

Top Rated Comments

Earendil Avatar
157 months ago
$15 is a bit much though, for a game that's just a straight port of something that's already a year old isn't it?
if they'd brought it out on iOS alongside the PC and console versions, then sure, $15 would be reasonable.
But i think i shall wait for another month or two for the price to inevitably fall to $5. i've waited this long, i can wait a little longer.

How look how far we've come, that this can even be an expectations. Why, when I was a kid playing games on my Mac, the "port" came out 3 years later, buggy, and still cost full price and your first born. AND in order to even acquire the game one had to walk to a physical store, uphill both ways. Sometimes it snowed.

$15 is more than fair.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canman4PM Avatar
157 months ago
$15 is a bit much though, for a game that's just a straight port of something that's already a year old isn't it?
if they'd brought it out on iOS alongside the PC and console versions, then sure, $15 would be reasonable.
But i think i shall wait for another month or two for the price to inevitably fall to $5. i've waited this long, i can wait a little longer.

And games over 1 year old are typically $20+ for the PS3, so...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blueroom Avatar
157 months ago
Hurry up and take my money.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
157 months ago
No doubt. And here I was all excited to get it on Mac. Now I'm not sure which way I would go....
My suggestion? The iPad. I already own the game, played through a good chunk of it, and I'm getting it again just because...

A. PORTABLE XCOM! YEEAAAAHHH!

B. The gameplay style is practically made for touchscreen controls.

C. I want to support developers who release full on proper games for the iPad, so we'll get more of them in the future.

D. PORTABLE XCOM! YEEAAAAHHH!

The downside is you'll have to wait another couple of months for the game, and the graphics probably won't be quite as good on the iPad as they are on the PC and Mac, but...hell...

PORTABLE XCOM! YEEAAAAHHHH!

----------

AND in order to even acquire the game one had to walk to a physical store, uphill both ways. Sometimes it snowed.
Sometimes it snowed? What are you? Some kinda wuss who grew up in wussyland? We had to fight polar bears every time we stepped outdoors in my neck of the woods. I lost both my brothers and my sister walking to the video store to rent Mario 3 back in the Blizzard of '89. 'Ole Leroy ate well that night, let me tell you...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dr McKay Avatar
157 months ago
Sometimes it snowed? What are you? Some kinda wuss who grew up in wussyland? We had to fight polar bears every time we stepped outdoors in my neck of the woods. I lost both my brothers and my sister walking to the video store to rent Mario 3 back in the Blizzard of '89. 'Ole Leroy ate well that night, let me tell you...
How look how far we've come, that this can even be an expectations. Why, when I was a kid playing games on my Mac, the "port" came out 3 years later, buggy, and still cost full price and your first born. AND in order to even acquire the game one had to walk to a physical store, uphill both ways. Sometimes it snowed.

$15 is more than fair.


Have at you!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DaveMcM76 Avatar
157 months ago
only iOS port? no OSX? and not on steam? sad

Mac version is out in about 4 weeks as it says under the video.....


The move comes a month after the game was announced for Mac with a launch date of April 25.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

iPhone Foldable Display Said to Feature iPad-Style 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Friday March 28, 2025 3:44 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming "iPhone Fold" will feature a foldable screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to a Chinese leaker who previously leaked the book-style device's display dimensions. The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple will adopt a "roughly" 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display in order to achieve consistency between the outer display, as well as to ensure parity...