XCOM: Enemy Unknown is being ported to iOS

At the Penny Arcade Expo, Firaxis Games announced that they are actively working on bringing their last year's hit, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, to Apple's mobile platform.

Last Thursday, when Firaxis announced the development of the casual strategy game Haunted Hollow for iOS, the internet buzzed with approval, though some criticism of the American company was heard. Critics wondered why they were creating a new brand from scratch when simply making XCOM for mobile could ensure their success.

It seems the critics were heard. This past Saturday, Firaxis not only announced but also demonstrated how XCOM runs on the iPad. Importantly, the developers showed that they are not creating the game from scratch but are making an honest port from the current generation consoles. Fortunately, the Unreal Engine, which the original project used, allows this.

Essentially, this is a local revolution: Firaxis is the first to port a current-generation console AAA game to a mobile platform. However, the project's performance is currently far from ideal, judging by the video. But the developers have time to fix this, as the game is set to release this summer as a paid app.

Considering the recent announcement of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft by Blizzard, it is clear that major developers, previously focused on hardcore games, are starting to take an interest in the mobile market. Does this mean we can expect a wave of AAA titles?

Industry blogger Sergey Galyonkin believes that it does not: "These are experiments. I think we might see a few more big games for mobile devices at E3 or Gamescom. And if they succeed, 2014, with the new generation of consoles and a strong mobile market, will be exciting."