Despite not having a mainline entry in almost seven years, the XCOM franchise is still one of the most popular turn-based strategy series out there, and for good reason. Set on an Earth that's been invaded by alien forces, XCOM sees players command the titular anti-alien task force, taking their elite squad of soldiers across the globe in an attempt to push back the alien threat. But with the last two XCOM games centering around the alien invasion of Earth, it might be time for a sequel to take things one step further, and introduce some new locations.
Earth has been the perfect setting for the XCOM revival series so far, with both mainline entries having incredibly high stakes, keeping the atmosphere intense and desperate. But after two pretty big games, and a few spinoffs, it feels as though fans have seen everything Earth has to offer, and it might be time to expand the action to a galaxy-wide scale. Firaxis already has some experience in that field.
The Next XCOM Game Should Take Players to Space like Civilization Beyond Earth Did
Civilization Beyond Earth was a fairly experimental entry in the long-running grand strategy franchise, and one that Firaxis Games was obviously very passionate about. Retaining the same general gameplay formula as other recent Civilization entries, Beyond Earth switched things up by taking fans to new and exciting worlds, trading the real-world continents and leaders for otherworldly planets and aliens.
Civilization Beyond Earth certainly wasn't a perfect game, but it could inspire a future XCOM sequel. Space has always been a topic that XCOM's danced around. With its core plot revolving around an alien invasion, spaceships, futuristic technology, mutants, clones, and a bunch of other classic sci-fi stuff, the concept of space and all the unknown threats that lie within it has always been present in the XCOM series, but it's never really been fully embraced. Nearly all of XCOM's action happens on a ground level, in suburban areas, small towns, forests, highways, and military facilities. Though they all suit the last few games, another entry filled with those locations could feel a little same-y.
Instead, the next XCOM should fully embrace a space setting. XCOM: Enemy Unknown saw players control the action from an underground facility, and XCOM 2 took players to the sky in a converted alien ship, but XCOM 3 should take it one step further, and have players leave the Earth's atmosphere and traverse across the galaxy. Rather than trying to protect each continent, players should have to protect an entire galaxy from the threat of alien invasion. Once a colony is under threat of an attack, the player sends out their ranger ships, just as they would in the rest of the series.
Taking the action to space paves the way for the next XCOM to have a whole slew of new gameplay mechanics. With a probable time jump on the cards, more advanced technology would be available to research and craft, such as even more futuristic weapons and armor. This could also lead to the addition of more sci-fi abilities. The last two XCOM games had a range of different Psionic abilities, and it'd be great to see that expanded even more in a sequel. Going to space would also naturally lead to more varied environments and enemy types, and could even pave the way for alien wildlife to appear on the planet, potentially leading to some interesting combat encounters where the player and their alien opponents are both being threatened by the planet's wildlife.