Aliens Versus Predator (1999 video game)

Lore & Background

Aliens Versus Predator was announced in 1995 for a 1997 Christmas release on PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows, but the PC version was delayed to 1999, and the console versions were scrapped. A Dreamcast version was also in development but never released. An expansion pack, Millennium Expansion Pack, was released in 2000, adding nine levels, save functionality, and new marine weapons. A compilation, Aliens Versus Predator: Gold Edition, containing the main game and expansion, was released in 2000. An Apple Macintosh version based on the Gold Edition was released by MacPlay in 2001. A Game Boy Advance version was planned by Ubisoft but canceled.

The game's source code and tools were released to the public in 2001, leading to unofficial ports to Linux and other platforms. After years of commercial unavailability, the game was re-released on Steam on 15 January 2010 as Aliens Versus Predator Classic 2000, which includes the Gold Edition content but not the separate Millennium Expansion Pack levels (those were integrated into Gold Edition).

Reader's Guide

Aliens Versus Predator is significant as a landmark crossover video game that successfully translated the distinct gameplay styles of the Alien, Predator, and Colonial Marine species into a first-person shooter. Its three separate campaigns, each with unique abilities and objectives, set it apart from contemporaries. The game received favorable reviews, with critics praising its atmosphere, sound design, and the terror of playing as each species, though some noted the lack of a save feature and shallow story. Its source code release in 2001 fostered a community-driven legacy, enabling unofficial ports and continued playability. The 2010 re-release as Aliens Versus Predator Classic 2000 ensured its availability on modern systems, cementing its place as a cult classic in the Alien vs. Predator franchise.

Did You Know?

• The game's mission briefings were originally acted by professionals, but the development team re-recorded them for the Gold Edition using team members.
• The Alien can climb walls and ceilings, and its screen view is distorted with a fisheye lens effect.
• The Predator is the most durable character and can survive falls from greater heights than the human.
• A sequel, Aliens Versus Predator 2, was developed by Monolith Productions and released by Sierra in 2001.

Three Species, Three Experiences

The game's most distinctive design choice is its tripartite campaign structure, letting players inhabit the perspective of a Colonial Marine, a Predator, or an Alien, each with an entirely different toolkit and set of objectives. The Marine fights with conventional weaponry, body armor, an image intensifier, and flares to navigate dark corridors. The Predator wields wrist blades, a smart disc, and a shoulder-mounted energy cannon, supplemented by a cloaking device and multiple vision modes—including infrared and a sensor tuned to electrical systems. The Alien carries no weapons whatsoever, relying solely on claws, a tail, and jaws, yet it can scale walls and ceilings, survive falls from any height, and is the fastest of the three. Its entire view is rendered through a distorted fisheye lens, and it navigates darkness via echolocation and pheromone tracking. Bonus levels even let the Marine and Predator venture into Alien territory, equipped with a jet pack and a grappling hook respectively.

Interwoven Storylines Across the Franchise

Each species follows a fully independent narrative thread tied to the broader Alien and Predator cinematic universe. The Alien begins by defending its hive from marines, then stows away on a spacecraft to reach the Ferarco. After triggering its self-destruct, the Alien escapes to Gateway Station—the setting of the 1986 film—battles two Predators, and boards a shuttle bound for Earth. The Marine starts at a research station on LV-426 studying the derelict from the 1979 original, fights through the facility and a colony, detonates an atmosphere processing station, then battles through Odobenus Station and the ship Tyrargo, ultimately killing an Alien queen by ejecting it through an airlock. The Predator hunts marines to reclaim a captured ship, discovers humans have spliced an Alien embryo into a Predator to create a hybrid, visits Fiorina "Fury" 161 from Alien 3, and finally confronts the Alien queen at a marine-controlled habitat.

A Rocky Road to Release

First announced in 1995 for a 1997 Christmas window across PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Windows, the project endured significant delays and platform cancellations. The PC build was pushed all the way to 1999, while both console versions were scrapped entirely. A PlayStation prototype was shown in early form at E3 1997, and a Dreamcast version was in development but never shipped. Ubisoft's planned Game Boy Advance port was also canceled. In 2000, the Millennium Expansion Pack arrived with nine new levels, in-level saving, and additional Marine weapons, later bundled as the Gold Edition. MacPlay delivered a Macintosh port supporting both OS X and classical Mac OS in 2001. An interesting behind-the-scenes detail: the original mission briefings were voiced by professional actors, but the team felt the delivery lacked urgency, so the Gold Edition replaced them with recordings by Rebellion staff members.

Life Beyond the Official Lifespan

In 2001, as the title reached end-of-support, Rebellion Developments made an unusual and generous move: they released the game's full source code and development tools to the public, empowering the community to keep the project alive. That act of open-sourcing ignited a remarkable chain of unofficial ports. A Linux build appeared the same year, hosted at icculus.org. In 2009, enthusiasts produced a playable Xbox version. As late as 2020, fans delivered a PlayStation Vita port, demonstrating nearly two decades of sustained grassroots engagement with the title. The game also left a mark on the broader franchise, spawning a sequel—Aliens Versus Predator 2—developed by Monolith Productions and published by Sierra in 2001, which carried the crossover concept forward in the first-person shooter space.

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