Replay sabotages Velvet Assassin

Last year, Replay Studios with the help of Gamecock Media Group proved its historical WWII shooter Sabotage was in fact not a mirage, branding the game with fall 2008 release date on the PC and "a next-gen console." However, in its time under the radar, the game received unexpected competition from EA's Pandemic Studios, which announced a similarly themed subversive historical WWII shooter titled Saboteur in April 2007.

Perhaps taking this into consideration, Replay and Gamecock have decided to rechristen Sabotage as what it hopes to be a "less trite, overused, and generic" title, Velvet Assassin. In addition to the name change, Replay may have added platforms for the game's release, noting that Velvet Assassin is in production for the PC and "next-generation consoles."

While the second World War isn't exactly the freshest area for source material, Replay Studios is hoping to enliven the period by focusing on the exploits of British special operative Violette Szabo, who was executed by the Germans after running a string of covert operations that were a thorn in the side of the Third Reich. Running with a surrealist aesthetic, the game plays out through the heroine's subconscious and features stylized artwork and combat sequences.

Velvet Assassin is still slated to arrive in fall 2008. Gamecock will be showing the game at its upcoming EIEIO 2008 event, taking place in Austin, Texas, on March 6 in conjunction with the SXSW music festival.