In 2006 Sega acquired the license to make new games based on the Aliens franchise but besides the massive wasted opportunity of last year’s Aliens Vs Predator nothing has come of it. Aliens: Colonel Marines, one of the most promising titles, has been in development by Gearbox Software these five years, but the developer has been busy pumping out Borderlands content and fixing up Duke Nukem Forever lately.

But they’re still working on it, and Sega today announced that the game is finally getting close to release. Spring 2012 will see the game release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, and hopefully offer gamers the terrifying co-op marine experience they’ve been waiting for.

“Aliens: Colonial Marines will be THE definitive ALIENS gaming experience,” said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SEGA Europe and SEGA of America. “Gearbox Software are doing a brilliant job translating the thrill and horror that ALIENS stands for into an action-packed shooter experience with co-operative gameplay at its core.”

The official synopsis-

Aliens: Colonial Marines begins with an ostensibly abandoned ship, the U.S.S. Sulaco, recovered in orbit around LV-426. Players lead a group of highly trained United States Colonial Marines as they board the deserted craft to uncover the fate of the crew. They will have to fight to survive unspeakable horrors and their own anxieties as they chase down the truth behind a galaxy-spanning deception that places humanity at the mercy of the most murderous and deadly species in the universe. Aliens: Colonial Marines features authentic environments, such as the surface of LV-426 and Hadley’s Hope, weapons inspired by the film series and is designed to provide an exhilarating and engaging new chapter in the Aliens universe.

We have a teaser trailer uploading right now but it’s really the definition of “teaser”- no gameplay is shown, just a little bit of story and of course, that alarming “bleep-bleep” “bleep-bleep” of the motion detector. Let’s hope Gearbox does it again, and also keep an eye out on E3 coverage to see about the rumored Borderlands 2 announcement…