It seems that the Wing Commander franchise isn’t dead yet since EA will be bringing a new installment in the series to Xbox Live Arcade. This game won’t be an exact remake of an existing Wing Commander title so they thought of a new subtitle, it’ll be called Wing Commander Arena.

The title refers to the arena where people will be able to play against each other in, what is hopefully going to be one of the largest (XBLA) multi-player melee experiences to date. In this fast-paced space combat game you’ll be able to propel your ship through space while firing a large variety of weaponry at each other. If you’re playing online you’ll be competing for Frag count, high score and dueling stats. A total of 16 players is supported.

Four different styles of play will be available in the game: single player, multi-team, multi-player free for all and multi-player duel. These modes are pretty self-explanatory and they offer something for every gamer, whether you want to play a quick match or immerse yourself into a long battle. 8 maps will be included on which you can play the 3 different multi-player modes.

Update: A couple of screenshots surfaced on Gamespot.

We’re really excited to deliver unparalleled multi-player arcade action, said Chip Lange, EA Vice President. The design for Wing Commander will appeal to both long-time fans of the franchise and immediately engage anyone who wants the melee style action of an arcade shooter.

Wing Commander Arena is being cooperatively developed with Gaia industries and will be available somewhere this summer.

Thanks to Cleansweep31 for submitting.