Codename Xeno

Codename Xeno: Spiritual Sequel To Alien Vs Predator In The Works

5 Comments | athena worlds, Codename Xeno, Horror, video games | By | | 2 minutes of reading

Most would agree the Atari Jaguar was a flop, but a console can only really be judged by its library, and there were a couple of standouts in the Jaguar’s. Alien Vs Predator was one. It was one of the original first-person shooters to grace the console market and the first Alien franchise game to capture the movies’ tension.

Jane Whittaker, who worked on Alien Vs Predator for the Jaguar, has founded her own development team, Athena Worlds, and they’ve announced their next game, Codename Xeno, will take heavy inspiration from the 1994 classic. In fact it will be even better: this game will be open-world, with advanced enemy AI, crafting, resource management and stealth mechanics. You’ll need to keep track of more than just what’s crawling ahead of you to survive. ‘After crash landing on planet XL-243, players will quickly find they are not alone and the battle for survival begins,” reads the light plot description.

“Alien Vs Predator for Atari defined my career,” Whittaker reminisces. “It defined a genre, often regarded as the first true survival game, with over 100 awards and recently honored with number 3 in the top 10 scariest games of all time awards. It spawned an enduring franchise. It is no exaggeration to say we changed the face of gaming and 30 years later, I still receive messages from fans asking if I’ll return to that genre with a new franchise. I can now announce that Athena Worlds, thanks to support of a soon to be named key publisher, will be returning to a genre that I hold very dear to my heart with a whole new survival horror IP, Codename Xeno. We have brought together the perfect team to realise this dream project.”

That team includes co-founder Mike Meaden (producer of Star Citizen, Squadron 42 and Forza Horizon), and character designer and Blizzard scholarship award winner Blaire Wathen. More team members may be announced at a later date, as well as a possible release wimdow. Plans are to produce the PC version of Codename Xeno first, then console ports later.

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Avatar of Cody
Cody

Active Member

1,119 messages 4 likes
#1 Apr 29, 2025

I still remember playing Alien Vs Predator on the Jaguar when I was a teenager. It scared me in a way no other game did back then. I think it's amazing that Jane Whittaker is returning to the survival horror genre with Codename Xeno. What excites me most is the mention of open-world gameplay and stealth mechanics. In AVP, the limited environments were a technical limit, but now with today’s hardware, the idea of exploring a planet like XL-243 with true freedom sounds like something I’ve always wanted. I also like that they are focusing on AI and resource management. Many modern horror games lack challenge because the enemies are too easy to predict. I hope Codename Xeno avoids that. With people like Mike Meaden and Blaire Wathen on board, the talent is clearly there. It’s smart that they’re starting with PC and then moving to console, since PC allows more flexibility for testing mechanics. I'm also glad Jane is getting recognition after so many years. Her original AVP work really did set a foundation for future horror games. I'll be keeping a close eye on this.

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Avatar of BAH819
BAH819

Member

25 messages 2 likes
#2 Apr 29, 2025

I’m not sold yet. Open world and survival horror don’t always mix well. Too much freedom can hurt the pacing. They’re making a lot of big promises, and we’ve all seen how that goes before. Let’s wait for gameplay footage before celebrating.

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PredatorArno

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40 messages 1 like
#3 Apr 29, 2025

I’ve never played the old Alien Vs Predator game, but I’ve heard about it from friends who are into retro stuff. This new game, Codename Xeno, actually sounds cool to me. I like games where you survive on a strange planet, and crafting and stealth are two things I enjoy when they are done well. I hope it’s not too difficult though. Sometimes survival games go too far with the stress part. I’ll wait to see more, but I think this could be something fresh, especially if they give us interesting characters and a story to follow. Good luck to Athena Worlds!

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Avatar of Vic
Vic

KISS OF DEATH

287 messages 20 likes
#4 Apr 29, 2025

I'm very interested in how they plan to handle the AI systems. Most survival horror games suffer because the AI is too dumb or just follows a set path. If Athena Worlds can really build smart enemy behaviors, that will be a huge upgrade for the genre. Open-world design adds complexity to this, though. Making a believable alien world that feels alive and dangerous is not easy. But with a team including someone from Star Citizen and Forza Horizon, which had huge and detailed environments, I think there’s a good chance they can pull it off. I'm definitely going to follow the development closely.

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daisymiller

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6 messages 0 likes
#5 Apr 29, 2025

Hearing about this made me feel hopeful. As someone working on my first game, it’s inspiring to see someone return to their old work after 30 years and still push for something new. Jane Whittaker clearly respects what came before but wants to build on it. The team she gathered looks very experienced, and I think that will help avoid the mistakes that often happen with overhyped projects. It’s also cool that they are adding survival elements like crafting and managing resources. That kind of design forces players to think and plan, not just run and shoot. I’m definitely paying attention to this one, not just as a player, but as a learner.

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