SDCC ’25: Talking with Survios about the new ALIEN: ROGUE INCURSION EVOLVED EDITION

For my final interview at Comic-Con International San Diego, I had the opportunity to reconnect with Survios, a video game developer, who created the Alien: Rogue Incursion VR game that I previewed at NYCC ’24 and reviewed later that year. This year, they are releasing Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition—a version of the game for PC and Consoles that isn’t in VR. I spoke again with T.Q. Jefferson and Eugene Elkin discuss the changes to the game as it transitions from a VR shooter to a classic First Person Shooter experience.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

JULIAN LYTLE: Can I get your names for the readers?

T.Q. JEFFERSON: It’s T.Q. Jefferson, Chief Project Officer.

EUGENE ELKIN: And Eugene Elkin, Project Lead and Lead Engineer. Okay.

LYTLE: What was the reasoning for deciding to make a non-VR version of the game?

JEFFERSON: We wanted to reach as many fans of Alien, of narrative-driven storytelling, and gameplay, as we could. And we also knew early in the project, we got confirmation once we announced the VR version, that there was an audience and an appetite for this game on PC and console. We had always planned on coming to these platforms to broaden our reach and try to get to as many fans and players as possible. But we built the VR first. VR is our strength. And then from there, we moved to the new platforms.

ELKIN: Also, I love VR. I’ve been in VR for over a decade since I first got my [Oculus Rift] DK1, even before Quest was with Meta. However, I still believe that one will never replace the other. Some days I feel like playing VR when I want to be active. I want to be immersed. Other days I’m just tired. I just want to sit back and enjoy it in a traditional experience. So both work.

Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition screenshot of hatched Ovomorph egg

LYTLE: I’ve heard you discuss some of the challenges you’ve faced with the changes you made to the game, from controlling in a VR space to a standard controller setup. How does that change the experience, especially when you’re changing the difficulty of the game and how the xenomorphs react to the player? Especially those who are very adept at playing FPS games on Consoles and PC?

ELKIN: That was our main focus when we first started working on the conversion, and it comes down to the fact that it’s a difficult balancing problem because there are so many different permutations. You want to capture that feeling from VR, including the dread and anxiety. Since the player can move so quickly and adjust the camera, and their aiming is so precise, the xenomorphs are much more active; they’re jumping around and moving out of your line of sight faster. On the weapon side, so there’s a Call of Duty and other competitive multiplayer shooters where you’re switching weapons fast. Here, we wanted to retain some of what is unique in VR, where things have to be done intentionally. It’s more realistic when you’re switching weapons, managing your ammo, and reloading.

LYTLE: Are you using any more features specific to console and pc? For a PlayStation 5, specifically the DualSense, in terms of the microphone and the adaptive triggers with feedback? Any bonuses, I guess, playing on a PS5 versus a PS5 Pro?

ELKIN: For sure, for sure. Haptics and adaptive triggers, of course. We spend a lot of time making sure that it feels good.

LYTLE: I’m not a big PC gamer, but is it safe to assume the game will take advantage of higher-end Gaming PC specs? Are there any bonuses to playing on a PS5 Pro versus a PS5?

JEFFERSON: Yes, yes, there are.

ELKIN: Yeah, on a PS5 Pro, you’re getting a higher resolution, and you’re getting an upscaled 4K image. So things are a lot more crisp and sharp, along with getting a stable 60fps. It also gets stable 60 fps on the base PS5, but the resolution is an upscaled 2K. So it’s lower, but both look crisp, sharp, and beautiful. PC, of course, it’s like you’ve mentioned, it’s got all the DLSS, frame generation, and ray tracing if your [graphics] card supports it.

LYTLE: What stores is the game being released on?

JEFFERSON: It’s on the Epic Game Store, and wishlists are now open. It’s available at the Steam Store, with pre-orders open. And it’s on the PlayStation Store right now.

LYTLE: Will the game be released on any platforms in the future? The [Nintendo] Switch 2 is out, and it’s an interesting platform with how it works docked and undocked.

JEFFERSON: I agree with you. All the cool kids are on it.

LYTLE: What about the Xbox and Xbox PC platform? Would it ever come out on there?

JEFFERSON: Well, I’ll say this when you asked what the goal of coming to PC and consoles was – we wanted to get the game to as many players and fans as possible on whatever hardware they’re on. So maybe those two are coming, but I can’t say right now.

LYTLE: And when is the game released?

JEFFERSON: September 30th. Real soon.

LYTLE: Final question: When can we expect the next game? It’s a cliffhanger, man. 

JEFFERSON: It is a cliffhanger, and we’re diving into it. We’ve already dived into it. I know where the story goes. I know where it was going to go with this whole thing, and I’m just eager for other people to know, too.

Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition – Zula Hendricks in battle with Xenomorphs with her shotgun