As worst-kept secrets in the industry go, few secrets have been worse-kept than that of EA's upcoming Syndicate remake. Between leaked copyright filings, constant rumors of Swedish developer Starbreeze handling the project, and EA actually leaking the project's existence over the weekend by accidentally posting details to its own Origin service, it's safe to say that everyone saw this one coming.

But much as one might feign shock during a spoiled surprise birthday party, just so as not to disappoint their significant other who spent so much time putting this whole thing together and then just inadvertently left one of the party invites sitting around on the kitchen table for you to find, let's all sit here and pretend we're really surprised and shocked that EA today announced that it is, in fact, remaking Syndicate, with developer Starbreeze on board to turn the former tactical-strategy franchise into a first-person shooter. Seriously, look surprised, or EA's PR people are going to start sobbing again.

According to the press release, this new Syndicate doesn't sound too far off from its cyberpunk predecessors, taking place in a "Machiavellian society" in the year 2069 full of corporations running rampant over a government-less landscape. The three dominant corporations--Eurocorp, Cayman Global, and Aspari--are constantly jockeying for control of a world where everything is digitally interconnected, including its people.

Players will be able to take advantage of a specialized microchip technology that allows them to slow down time and "breach the digital world around them to take down their foes using a variety of upgradable hacking mechanics." As an added bonus, Syndicate will also feature a four-player co-op mode, with reworked versions of missions from the original Syndicate.

If there is one detail of some surprise to be found in this announcement, it's that Syndicate is currently set for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in early 2012. That is, as you may know, soon.

As worst-kept secrets in the industry go, few secrets have been worse-kept than that of EA's upcoming Syndicate remake. Between leaked copyright filings, constant rumors of Swedish developer Starbreeze handling the project, and EA actually leaking the project's existence over the weekend by accidentally posting details to its own Origin service, it's safe to say that everyone saw this one coming.

But much as one might feign shock during a spoiled surprise birthday party, just so as not to disappoint their significant other who spent so much time putting this whole thing together and then just inadvertently left one of the party invites sitting around on the kitchen table for you to find, let's all sit here and pretend we're really surprised and shocked that EA today announced that it is, in fact, remaking Syndicate, with developer Starbreeze on board to turn the former tactical-strategy franchise into a first-person shooter. Seriously, look surprised, or EA's PR people are going to start sobbing again.

According to the press release, this new Syndicate doesn't sound too far off from its cyberpunk predecessors, taking place in a "Machiavellian society" in the year 2069 full of corporations running rampant over a government-less landscape. The three dominant corporations--Eurocorp, Cayman Global, and Aspari--are constantly jockeying for control of a world where everything is digitally interconnected, including its people.

Players will be able to take advantage of a specialized microchip technology that allows them to slow down time and "breach the digital world around them to take down their foes using a variety of upgradable hacking mechanics." As an added bonus, Syndicate will also feature a four-player co-op mode, with reworked versions of missions from the original Syndicate.

If there is one detail of some surprise to be found in this announcement, it's that Syndicate is currently set for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in early 2012. That is, as you may know, soon.

Pure dum luck to get this. 
I am happy now

wow this looks cool.

thats cool

Syndicate is back!!!
Finally accepting the worst kept "secret"!

I miss Bullfrog.

@fatalflame said:

Syndicate is back!!! Finally accepting the worst kept "secret"!

If you can call "remade as an FPS" back.

I hope it will be good =)

I doubt this will any of the stuff that made the original great.

Much like X-Com the first person nature of all these remakes puts me off a bit, but not so much that I won't give it a chance. Where my isometric games at?

Hey guys.

Starbreeze are pretty alright.

Looking forward to another Starbreeze game, regardless of the title. Those guys have a track record of treating licences properly.

Guys, this story is everywhere. It's been re-imagined as a "visceral first-person shooter experience."  Based on XCOM's E3 demo, I can't say I have much faith in this one, either. I'm not dropping ANOTHER $60 for a shooter that looks like Deus Ex and plays like too many other games I've played to death.

That logo could really use some V-Sync...

Starbreeze is a good developer.

Don't know what the point in resurrecting old forgotten IP in the form of a shooter is all the rage (eg. Shadowrun, XCOM, Syndicate). Why bother? Why not start fresh if the people who liked the original are not your audience?

The swedes know how to make striking shooters.

Remaking it as a First-Person Shooter... with time-slowing mechanics? Hmmm.

I wonder if they announced a "throwback" isometric 3D remake (much in the same vein as the Bionic Commando Rearmed vs. Bionic Commando games) if they'd also be better received than the "full" 3D revamp.

this is just boring. ANOTHER FPS remake. *yawn*. I might not even rent this. I'm THAT bummed.

By "Machiavellian Society" you mean "All Men are Evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope"?

I never asked for this.
Lol gotta love all the pointless hate with mockups to Deus Ex HR,but the game came out just few weeks ago.
Even though the release date is surprisingly soon Starbreeze stuff never let me down.

I sure hope this game has a floof somewhere or I will be sorely disappointed.

Wasn't Syndicate wars supposed to have a FPS mode that got dropped?  So the franchise was kinda heading that way but the tech wasn't with it at the time.

It sounds too much like a generic FPS to me. It is unfortunate that this IP is being re-launched during this period where big game companies appear to be afraid of delivering anything new or daring and are retreating into a sequel or FPS shell of safety.

God almighty, another FPS...

I could've been really excited by this, but now I'm not!

Surprise surprise. Classic franchise being remade as questionable First Person Shooter. At least this has a more firm grasp on the source material than XCOM does, and at least I've never played Syndicate so I don't feel much inscrutable rage like I know the internet is feeling.

A new Syndicate? Fuck ya!!! New Syndicate going to be FPS? BOOOOOOOOOOOO!

@Shuborno said:

Starbreeze is a good developer.

Don't know what the point in resurrecting old forgotten IP in the form of a shooter is all the rage (eg. Shadowrun, XCOM, Syndicate). Why bother? Why not start fresh if the people who liked the original are not your audience?

Shadowrun is actually also a role playing game that has been active ever since the first game came out with new editions released as recently as 2005 and 2009.

Also the 360 and SNES game are not in the same universe and have noting to do with one another unlike XCOM and Syndicate that are both pretty much considered as reboots.

A perk with using an old ass IP is that not only do you get the old fans thanks to nostalgia but you can market it as a whole new game for a new audience so. It's pretty much the same has having a new IP but with a built in fanbase.

I know zipdidooda about syndicate. I know starbreeze though. pretty amazing developer.

I liked the Starbreeze games I've played quite a bit. This could be really cool.

Remakes don't erase the old games and the experience you had with them from history. They take the idea and bring it to the modern day for a new audience. I'm not saying all remakes or reboots are great. Yet, who knows? You might actually enjoy this game.

Fallout 3 and Deus Ex: HR are some good examples of doing it well. Starbreeze is capable of doing it well too. So unless you're a crazy purist don't snub it just yet.

A new Syndicate? Fuck ya!!! New Syndicate going to be FPS? BOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I will only accept this release if they include Miniguns, Gauss Rifles, and the Persuader. It's not a Syndicate game unless these things exist.

Starbreeze is one my absolute favorite studios. Riddick and The Darkness hold places in my top ten. Keep it going!

A game that was in a boring genre being made into a now over saturated boring genre of gaming, how exciting.

Turning a classic strategy games into a FPS is going to get you a lot of badwill. As made evident by XCOM.

Interested to see another syndicate after so long, used to play the original a lot on the amiga. Though dubious about the whole "fps with time slowing and digital world hacking mechanics" spin on it. Suppose I shall keep an open mind for the time being.

I feel like this has been done before...

Never played the original but I love Starbreeze games, so this is definitely something I will keep on my radar.

You know, when I read the word "remake" I usually don't think of "has nothing to do with the original"

Well thanks EA another Shooter is EXACTLY what I need.

All anger aside, a new Starbreeze game is always good news

@heatDrive88 said:

I will only accept this release if they include Miniguns, Gauss Rifles, and the Persuader. It's not a Syndicate game unless these things exist.

this.

It's a Fucking first person shooter?

The world does not need another FPS game.

i wonder how well the transition from strategy to fps; hopefully youll still be able to manipulate other people as well as yourself

Waste of the IP. Starbreeze have a great pedigree when it comes to FPS's but using the Syndicate name won't do it any favours and will probably alienate the fans of the franchise.

@PJ said:

@Shuborno said:

Starbreeze is a good developer.

Don't know what the point in resurrecting old forgotten IP in the form of a shooter is all the rage (eg. Shadowrun, XCOM, Syndicate). Why bother? Why not start fresh if the people who liked the original are not your audience?

Shadowrun is actually also a role playing game that has been active ever since the first game came out with new editions released as recently as 2005 and 2009.

Also the 360 and SNES game are not in the same universe and have noting to do with one another unlike XCOM and Syndicate that are both pretty much considered as reboots.

A perk with using an old ass IP is that not only do you get the old fans thanks to nostalgia but you can market it as a whole new game for a new audience so. It's pretty much the same has having a new IP but with a built in fanbase.

I guess Shadowrun was a bad example if they did enough to delineate the 360/PC game from the current RPG.

I question how big that existing audience is with that old IP. That standards for success are so much greater these days that having some of the die-hards from the old iteration of an IP doesn't seem like it would make that much of a difference (since you risk alienating those people as well).

Ah well, let's see what Starbreeze does with Syndicate. It could go either way.

I'm no huge fan of FPS games, but from what I've seen of Syndicate, it could work as one. It certainly doesn't look as tactical as X-COM. For the most part, it seems like agents running around bases on missions in real time shooting guys, which seems like it could have even been "remade as an FPS" in the GoldenEye engine. 
 
Experts in this game, please correct me with the essential strategy elements of this game that will never be doable in an FPS.

@RiotBananas said:

I'm so sick of your fucking article titles, Alex.

This.

Looks like they are remaking all my favourite. In other news, all games now look the same.

Starbreeze being the developers on this gives me hope. I'm always willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have no real recollection of the original, so nostalgia is no big thang.