XCOM 2 War of the Chosen is an essential upgrade to one of the best strategy games on PC, but it was originally going to be quite different. The game’s director, Jake Solomon, who parted ways with developer Firaxis in February 2023, reveals that the original vision was completely different from what we got, with giant mechs more akin to those of Titanfall 2, Battletech, and Into the Breach, but it simply didn’t work in practice.
I probably don’t need to tell you why XCOM 2 is one of the best strategy games on PC at this point, but some players may never have come back around to pick up the essential XCOM 2 DLC expansion War of the Chosen, which alters the structure of its campaign with new hero characters, enemy types, story missions, and, best of all, the eponymous Chosen, an elite three-person squad of alien hybrids that torment you and your team relentlessly.
According to Solomon, however, these “nemesis-style” enemies were a late-minute pivot, along with the addition of six beloved actors from Star Trek: The Next Generation who joined that cast. The game’s director explains the original mech-driven vision in a post to X (formerly Twitter).
War of the Chosen was originally about giant mechs that multiple soldiers could ride on, plus customizable interceptors and air combat,” he reveals, explaining that this was the reason the expansion was given the codename ‘Ozzy’ (as in Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osborne, because of all the heavy metal, of course).
“Then we put a prototype giant mech in game and couldn’t see shit,” he remarks. “Our camera angle is not meant for 30-foot mechs, apparently, let alone the pathing, etc. So [we made a] quick pivot to a nemesis style enemy and the voice cast of Star Trek: TNG, and the rest is history.”
Asked whether this was actually an April Fools joke, Solomon clarifies that it “really was the direction of War of the Chosen for a hot minute until we realized how much work it would be.” It would be a very interesting addition to the dynamic however. Solomon has previously noted that War of the Chosen was almost XCOM 3, so perhaps one day we’ll actually see the arrival of the long-awaited sequel, mechs and all.
Until then, there’s lots more of the best turn-based strategy games to keep you busy – or, if all this talk has you hankering for a War of the Chosen playthrough, be sure to brush up with our best XCOM 2 tips before you squad up.
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