SiN Episode 1 headed to retail

Episodic content is a trend on the rise, and one of the first big experiments in the field is set to arrive next month. Ritual Entertainment and Valve today announced that the PC first-person shooter SiN Episode 1: Emergence will arrive in retail outlets on May 9. Electronic Arts has signed on to publish the game in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Reprising a role from Ritual's original SiN, a first-person shooter released in 1998, gamers will control John Blade, a determined cop looking to undermine the machinations of corporate ne'er-do-well Alexis Sinclair. Along the way, the game's dynamic difficulty system will take into account how well the player is performing and adapt the challenge accordingly.

Emergence will also be distributed digitally over Valve's Steam service (with downloaded copies being unlocked on May 9). The game will be $19.95 in both boxed and downloaded forms, but gamers who preorder through Steam will get a 10 percent discount, as well as SiN, Ritual's original first-person shooter from 1998.