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Haven’t heard of Spec Ops? After Rangers Lead the Way, it was subject to an embarrassing menagerie of sequels all intended to compete with Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear. Eight years after it’s last iteration, YAGER and 2K Games revealed Spec Ops: The Line at the Spike TV 2009 VGAs. And yes, while I tell myself this is the Spec Ops franchise, the premise for the trailer is at least interesting (and Ripcord Studios is not the developer this time around). We’ve definitely got this third person, multiplatform shooter on our radar – for now, at least. Hit the jump for the trailer and press release.

2K Games Announces its Next Big Shooter – Spec Ops®: The Line™

Narrative-driven military shooter features intense combat and gut-wrenching decisions set against the backdrop of the sandstorm-ravaged city of Dubai

New York, NY – December 14, 2009 – 2K Games, the publisher of the critically acclaimed BioShock® and Borderlands™, announced today that Spec Ops®: The Line™ is currently in development at YAGER for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Spec Ops: The Line is a provocative and gripping third-person modern military shooter that challenges players’ morality by putting them in the middle of unspeakable situations where unimaginable choices affecting human life must be made.

“At the heart of the 2K DNA is the creation of intellectual properties that provide consumers with compelling narrative, heart-pounding action, and worlds that come to life around them,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Spec Ops: The Line is the epitome of a 2K Games title and incorporates all of our gameplay values: immersive experiences that draw you in, unique and innovative features that make you rethink the way you play them, and an amazingly high quality bar that is synonymous with the 2K name. By meeting these core values, I’m confident that Spec Ops: The Line will be a great experience that people will enjoy playing for years to come.”

Spec Ops: The Line unfolds within the destroyed opulence of Dubai. Once the playground for the world’s wealthiest elite, Dubai has fallen victim to a series of cataclysmic sandstorms. The city’s ultramodern architecture lies half-buried under millions of tons of sand. The very sand that blankets the city plays a marquee role in altering combat situations and serves as a powerful but unpredictable force that will both help and hinder players throughout the course of the game.

While most people have fled the now-barren wasteland before the sandstorms swept through, U.S. Army Colonel John Konrad and his loyal squad remained behind to protect those incapable of escape. Unable to reach anyone in Dubai after the storm hit, the U.S. Army feared Konrad and his team dead until they picked up a weak distress signal and launched a rescue operation. As U.S. Army Captain Martin Walker, you and your elite Delta Force team are sent to infiltrate the treacherous region to bring Konrad home. Players will experience “The Line”, that razor’s edge known only to men who deal in war. It is the line they cross when death and duty become one and the same. It is the end — of self and sanity — when their duty is done and only they remain.

“The production of Spec Ops: The Line has been a tremendous experience for YAGER,” said Timo Ullman, managing director at YAGER. “Our close collaboration with 2K Games over the course of this production has allowed us to achieve our goal of giving players a unique and exciting gaming experience in Spec Ops: The Line. YAGER’s goal is to always push the boundaries of what is possible and exceed players’ expectations in every production.”

Spec Ops: The Line underscores 2K’s commitment to deliver original and innovative single and multiplayer experiences to current generation consoles and PCs. Spec Ops: The Line will take that commitment to the next level by providing players with a new and exciting multiplayer experience that offers a unique perspective on the single-player storyline.

Spec Ops: The Line is not yet rated by the ESRB. The title is planned for release during Take-Two’s 2011 fiscal year, which begins on November 1, 2010. For more information, please visit www.specopstheline.com.