The XCOM shooter may still be alive

I’ve got sources man! Leads into all kinds of mysteries! And according to the FedEx guy who just dropped off a mysterious parcel, proof that XCOM is still alive!

In all honesty though, it’s kind of an obvious mystery. Let’s take a look at the contents of what I just received. First off, there’s the 1950s Americana style office box.

Thus, the mystery begins. Inside, I found a “top secret” dossier with a postcard for Pima in New Mexico:

A brochure map for Rosemont, in the state of Georgia:

A Zippo lighter engraved with Eradite Verum and an ashtray with what I hope is not dried blood:

A mysterious letter from a “X” person:

A role of film that I have no idea what the hell is on it:

Some fresh coffee-stained documents:

And one hell of a lot of shredded paper. Fortunately, I’m socially inept so I’ll probably spend the night gluing these documents back together.

So where’s the proof you say, about this being related to the XCOM shooter? Well, go into Google, type in “Rosemont Georgia” and what do you get? This link to a Wiki dedicated to that apparently dead game.

Second, the documents. The shredded one reads like the concerns of a paranoid survivalist, with questions such as “What noise does a dog make?” and “What is your favourite sports team?”. Each question also has the optimal response, and suspicious behaviour to watch out for.

Then you’ve got the after action report, which further hints at extra-terrestrial action. Poor Calvin Edwards. He was apparently killed in action by an unknown slicing action and massive blacked out bits of text. The documents also detail that all agents are on high alert…except for Agent Carter. Does that name ring a bell? It should, he was the lead character in the original reveal for the game.

Third, when I held that strip of micro-film, technology that is deader than sympathy for Margaret Thatcher, I could see what appears to be the All-Spark cube from the Transformers movies hovering over a park. Where have I seen that before?

Fourth, you’ve got the ashtray and lighter, which are covered in “black gunk”. The Zippo has the words “Eradite Verum” on it. The rough translation of that is “scrape or “erase”  the truth.”  Incidentally, the package was posted by a “Mr Veritas” as well. Tinfoil hats, engage!

The thing is though, I don’t reckon that this is for an XCOM game with FPS mechanics.  2K has been hush hush so far with the property, and with XCOM: Enemy Unknown proving to be a big hit, going forward with this would sour those positive vibes. Honestly? I think that old XCOM shooter is being re-branded as a new franchise. And I’ve got no problem with that whatsoever. Yes, this has been some cleverly obvious marketing, but one that has tapped into my Murder She Wrote love of mysteries.

Well played games industry, well played.

Last Updated: April 23, 2013