Joystiq [Xbox]

Received via a marketing email to X3F, Replay Studios has changed the title of their low-profile stealth-action game from Sabotage to Velvet Assassin. The game revolves around a historical spy character in the midst of secret WWII missions. Now, if you're a bit confused (as we admittedly were upon reading) as to the nature of this game, and the main character's real-life analogue, don't be. In the email from Replay Studios, the stated reason for the name change is that, and we quote, "The new title creates a perfect marriage between the story of real life hero Violette Szabo and the clandestine art of sabotage she championed." Well, it seems that way on the surface, but here's where the aforementioned confusion comes in. Pandemic Studios has had a title in development called Saboteur, which is of course a very close name to "Sabotage," and rather limits the PR explanation's believability. Not only were the game titles the nearly the same, but the premises for the two are uncannily similar as well, with Saboteur focusing on a real-life historical character in the midst of WWII occupied Paris. Whether or not the games will end development being as similar as they sound now will have to wait until both release this fall.

Behind the scenes, with initial gameplay footage, after the break