The ESRB has rated Ubisoft’s I Am Alive, indicating that a release date might be forthcoming for the perpetually missing action title. The ratings board issued the game a Mature rating, and cited violence, profanity, and scenes of implied sexual abuse as the primary factors. Given the ESRB’s protocol and the relative depth of their synopsis, it seems I Am Alive might be nearing the end of its development cycle. That’s a bit of a surprise, given the game’s rocky history.
Set in an earthquake-ravaged Chicago, I Am Alive was first announced back at E3 2008 with a flashy prerendered trailer. In the three years since, Ubisoft has stayed almost completely silent on the gtitle. The publisher has released exactly zero new assets – not a single screenshot, video, or piece of concept art. Announced launch dates came and went without explanation. The project was taken away from developer Darkworks and given to Ubisoft Shanghai. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told the press that the game was being “totally re-engineered.” By all accounts, I Am Alive was fast on its way to cancellation and an ironic name.
Then, this summer, the Australian Classification Board awarded the game an MA 15+ rating, indicating the game was nearing completion. A few months later, an unreleased trailer and footage from one of the game’s cutscenes surfaced on YouTube, only to be pulled offline following a copyright claim from Ubisoft.
Add in the ESRB rating and there’s a growing mountain of evidence that I Am Alive is gearing up for a release. In fact, we’ve got just about everything except an official announcement from Ubisoft. If the game is really this far along in its development cycle, that’s bound to be coming shortly. Then again, I Am Alive has proved time and again to be anything but predictable.