Cult-favorite Velocity series getting a "high-intensity" spiritual successor from its original studio

The studio behind PowerWash Simulator is working on a spiritual successor to a very different cult-favorite series, along with the publisher behind Steamworld and other indie favorites.

FuturLabs and Thunderful Games revealed their new partnership with an announcement on FuturLab's official site. It describes the new project as a "stylish, high-intensity third-person combat" sci-fi adventure which will carry on many of the same concepts present in the Velocity series.

Never heard of Velocity? Well, that's probably why the two companies are making a spiritual successor instead of a true sequel - the three games in the Velocity series were acclaimed for their novel take on arcade action but they never quite broke through into becoming commercial hits. FuturLab creative director James Marsden outlined his excitement for the "ambitious new IP" in the announcement post.

"It sees our studio returning to sci-fi action, possessing the same DNA as Velocity, but with far more ambition, style, and contemporary relevance," Marsden said. "It is nothing short of a dream game, and we cannot wait to share it with the world."

Thunderful head of publishing Dieter Schoeller adds that it's "a refreshingly new take on the action genre, presented with stunning visual style and super-tight gameplay mechanics." The Velocity series was exclusively 2D - featuring mostly side-on ship action, with some off-ship platforming interludes introduced in Velocity 2X - so moving to third-person combat implies this spiritual successor will also make the jump to 3D. They were surprisingly stylish too, so it's good to hear that FuturLab is keeping the aesthetic in mind as it moves on to whatever's next.

There's no indication that this project will be a PlayStation console exclusive, which the Velocity games were (for a time, anyway). That said, Sony has made clear its plans to invest more in arrangements with external developers. If the deal was right, I'd imagine this Velocity successor could carry that part of the franchise forward as well. It sounds like the project is still quite early along, so it will likely be a while before we hear more firm details about it.

Take a trip back in time with our guide to the best PS3 games, or look ahead to what's coming next with our guide to new indie games.