Officials from Vivendi have announced a remake of the critically acclaimed 2004 Xbox title The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, to be developed by original creators Starbreeze Studios.
The new version of the game is to be named The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and is described as a “reinvention” of the original title, with a new chapter being created for the single player campaign. Although the original version featured no online functionality the sequel is to include a full multiplayer mode.
As before the game will act as a prequel to the movie Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick, both of which featured the cult anti-hero Riddick, as portrayed by Vin Diesel. As such the game is being produced in association with Vin Diesel’s Tigon Studios. Diesel, who is reported to be a keen gamer, will also provide his likeness and voiceovers for the game, which is due to be released later this year.
"The Chronicles of Riddick is a genre defining game that helped shape the modern first-person shooter," said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "We are proud to not only take this 'Best in Class' title to the next level for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but to create a new single-player experience and multi-player campaigns for a truly robust product offering."
"We're very happy to be working in the Riddick universe again," said Ian Stevens, lead game designer at Starbreeze Studios. "Assault on Dark Athena gives us an opportunity to revisit the original game and share it with a new audience, as well as offer a continuation of the Butcher Bay gameplay and storyline. We're also thrilled to be bringing multiplayer to the game."
