An old-school FPS series that has been dormant since 2009 has unexpectedly returned with the recently confirmed ninth instalment.

The surprise return of the Delta Force series was announced recently. The ninth instalment of the long-dormant FPS franchise is currently in development at TiMi Studio Group, the developer behind Call of Duty Mobile.

Delta Force launched as a PC-only series in 1998 before being released on consoles four years later. Its eventual debut on PlayStation did not go unnoticed, as Delta Force: Urban Warfare is still touted as one of the best FPS games on PS1. California-based developer NovaLogic released new Delta Force games yearly until 2005’s Delta Force: Xtreme. The sequel, Xtreme 2, mainly received negative reviews in 2009. This prompted the company to turn to other projects. After three cancellations and financial difficulties, the studio was finally sold to THQ Nordic in 2016. The Austrian publisher has since not intended to revive the Delta Force series.

However, a new franchise instalment, Delta Force: Hawk Ops, is currently in development at TiMi Studio Group, which presumably licensed the long-dormant FPS brand from THQ Nordic.

The Chinese mobile games giant has unveiled its latest title with a teaser trailer on 18 August. It shows hectic action in various locations. The 30-second video could serve as a precursor to the full announcement of the game. The latter is scheduled to take place at Gamescom 2023 on Tuesday, 22 August.

Until then, TiMi Studio Group has confirmed that Delta Force: Hawk Ops will be a multiplatform title. It will come to PC and consoles, as well as mobile devices. The game is scheduled to debut in free-to-play format, as will most other contemporary titles from mobile developer Call of Duty. And while the nature of this business model means Delta Force: Hawk Ops will focus on multiplayer, the upcoming FPS will also include a campaign mode inspired by the 2001 Hollywood blockbuster Black Hawk Down.

Hawk Ops will therefore be the second Delta Force game to draw inspiration from Ridley Scott’s iconic war film. More than two decades after the original Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. Despite the similarities, there is currently no indication that the upcoming FPS will be a remake of NovaLogic’s 2003 game.

Source: IGN