With 2K's new California-based studio 2K Marin confirmed to be working on a sequel to BioShock, just what are those folks at 2K Boston up to? If a rumor from the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine is to be believed, Ken Levine and company are working on a next-gen version of X-COM, the popular space-themed series that started on the PC in the early 90s.

This rumor is nothing new -- the gossip mongering Surfer Girl has hinted at the title in the past, and other rumblings throughout the industry have suggested this as well. The rights to the X-COM IP has been in the hands of Take-Two Interactive since June of 2005, but the company has been quiet on their plans.

Obviously, based on the sources, this has to be regarded as pure rumor. But as they say, "where there's smoke, there's fire," and this is one rumor that won't seem to go away. With E3 right around the corner, it's likely that 2K Boston's next project will be revealed in some fashion; whether or not that's a new X-COM title remains to be seen.

[Via Kotaku]