Sid Meier's Pirates! bound for Xbox

Developer Firaxis has announced that it is working on an Xbox version of the eagerly awaited Sid Meier's Pirates!, with the console version set to arrive in 2005 following a launch on the PC in November of this year.

The game, which is a follow-up to the hugely critically acclaimed 1987 Pirates! title, puts the player in the role of a 17th century pirate captain in the Carribean, and offers an open-ended role-playing experience in a detailed 3D world.

The Xbox version of the title is set to include 5.1 Dolby Surround sound and HDTV support, as well as taking advantage of a number of Xbox Live! features. It will also offer a Vs mode which will be unique to the console. Both the PC and Xbox SKUs will be published by Atari.

"We're thrilled to continue our relationship with Atari to bring Pirates! not only to fans of the original game but to a new generation of gamers," according to Firaxis president and CEO Jeff Briggs. "Pirates! is among the most popular and loved titles in gaming history and Sid and the team here are working hard to uphold the high standards of the franchise."