What's going on with Aliens: Colonial Marines Wii U?

Aliens: Colonial Marines for Wii U is officially due to release by the end of March, but publisher Sega and developer Demiurge are refusing to comment on the project's status. With just 10 days left in the month, the game--reportedly the best-looking version of all--appears to be in danger of missing its projected release window.

"We're still not commenting on [Aliens: Colonial Marines] at this point. Sorry, I don't have better news," a Sega representative told GameSpot.

"I'm sorry to say that we at Demiurge can't really comment," a representative from the Cambridge, Mass. developer added.

Though Gearbox Software is not directly involved with the development on Aliens: Colonial Marines for Wii U, CEO Randy Pitchford said last year that he sees the game "regularly." This would suggest the studio would have knowledge of how the game is progressing. However, Gearbox Software had not returned GameSpot's request for comment at press time.

If retailer listings are any indication, Aliens: Colonial Marines for the Wii U is still on, though placeholder dates vary from shop to shop. GameStop says the game will be out by December 31, while Target suggests the title has shifted to a launch by May 31.

Best Buy and GameFly have product pages for the game, though they do not feature prospective release dates.

Major online-only retailer Amazon does not list the game at all, while the official Nintendo product page for Aliens: Colonial Marines says it will release during the Wii U launch window, meaning sometime by March 31.

The official Aliens: Colonial Marines website lists the Wii U version as "TBC." It is unclear what this means, though popular possibilities include "to be considered" and "to be confirmed."

The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions of Aliens: Colonial Marines were blasted by critics at launch last month. GameSpot's review said the title is a "disappointing exercise in bland corridor shooting" and one that is "unremarkable in every conceivable way." Other critics also crushed the game, with Joystiq criticizing the game for being an "unfettered disaster" and Gamesradar saying it is "wholly uninteresting."

The game's long and strained development was why it came up short with critics, according to sources. Since its original release last month, assisting developer TimeGate Studios laid off staff and Gearbox released a 4GB patch for the PC version that promised to improve the game's visuals.

Despite the game's low marks from critics, Aliens: Colonial Marines was the sixth-best-selling game of February in the United States, according to NPD data. Specifics sales figures were not divulged, though more copies were sold on Xbox 360 than PS3 and PC.