Argonaut's SWAT confirmed for the Xbox

Vivendi Universal has confirmed that SWAT: Global Strike Team, the game formerly known as Kleaners, will indeed be released on the Microsoft Xbox. The company will also bring the game to an unannounced console. Both versions will be released under the company's Sierra label. SWAT: GST is a first-person tactical combat title that, according to Sierra, combines the strategic elements of SWAT 3 with the fast-paced shooting action of arcade games such as Sega's Virtua Cop. In the game, players become a member of the Global Strike Team, which is established in the year 2020 to help countries and organizations around the globe resolve a variety of situations involving the protection and rescue of innocent lives.

"SWAT: GST takes advantage of groundbreaking work for the Xbox already underway by Argonaut," said Adam Fossa, brand manager at Sierra. "Their new SWAT engine has been designed from the ground up to give the game its own distinct look and feel. Some of the stylistic variations developed for the game include hard-edged shadows, allowing for an almost limitless number of lights and shadows in any given scene, and photo-realistic film filter, which gives SWAT its distinctive true-to-life look."

Both console versions of SWAT will be released in fall 2002. Among Argonaut's other projects is the action game Orchid, which was shown as part of the original Xbox demo reel, and two unannounced games that will be released exclusively for Microsoft's console.