Alien: Romulus Director Reveals the Movie Has an Easter Egg for Alien: Isolation Fans

Since releasing back in 2014, Alien: Isolation has been held in high regard among fans of the franchise. It’s rare that a licensed video game has an impact on its source material, but it seems the game left such an impression on Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez that he actually included a subtle reference in his film! In an interview with Total Film and GamesRadar+, Alvarez talked about the Registration Points from the game, which looked like pay phones. Registration Points are places where the game can be saved right before Amanda Ripley is about to encounter something particularly bad or dangerous. In the movie, Alvarez uses these phones as a way to similarly tip off the audience that something big is about to happen. 

“The movie is set up in a way [that] every time something bad is about to happen, you will see a phone,” said Alvarez. “In the game, every time you knew there’s a phone you’d go, ‘F**k, I’m about to go into some bad set-piece.’ It’s the same thing here. You’ll see they’re planted strategically throughout the film. When you see the phone, it’s like: brace for impact.”

It will be interesting to see how noticeable these Registration Points are in Alien: Romulus, and if fans of the game will be able to pick up on their presence. At the very least, it’s a nice nod to a part of the franchise that most Alien fans probably wouldn’t have expected to see. That attention to detail is the kind of thing that often bodes well for a long existing IP like Alien. 

Alvarez went on to note that Alien: Isolation had a big impact on his desire to direct a movie in the horror franchise. Playing the game made Alvarez realize “how terrifying Alien could be if you take it back to that tone.” It remains to be seen whether Alien: Romulus will be as well-regarded among Alien fans as the video game is, but with the film set to release on August 16th, we won’t have much longer to wait to find out! 

Those that haven’t played Alien: Isolation can find the game on just about every modern platform, including Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. 

Are you planning to see Alien: Romulus this week? Will you be keeping an eye out for this Easter egg? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!