Raven Software, an internal development studio at Activision Blizzard, and most recently responsible X-Men Origins: Wolverine and last week’s Wolfenstein, has been hit with a round of layoffs, continuing the industry trend of expanding during peak periods of development, and then reducing the team size when in planning stages for their next game.

In the case of Raven, though, work continues on their recently delayed first-person shooter Singularity, while no other announced titles are known to be in development at the studio.

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Activision Publishing have announced the release date for their upcoming first-person paranormal World War II game, Wolfenstein and it’s sooner than you think.

The latest entry to the legendary Wolfenstein series of games, in development at Raven and overseen by license holders id Software, will be releasing on August 4th on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

It’s safe to assume that this date is for the US, while the rest of the world will get it the traditional ‘few days later’ on the following Friday, although that’s not yet confirmed.

Looking at the released screenshots and trailers for Wolfenstein, it’s also safe to assume that the game will be pretty action-packed, although that, too, is not yet confirmed…

A large batch of new screenshots (fifteen!) have been released for the upcoming World War II and paranormal experiments inspired first-person shooter, Wolfenstein, in development at Raven under the watchful eye of id Software.

Wolfenstein’s main gameplay concept is something called The Veil, an alternate universe, of sorts, which allows those who can harness its power to see their current world in a different way.

What this means for the game is that, once you enter, or activate, The Veil, your current environment will have changed and enemies will also be seen differently, enabling you to pinpoint their weaknesses, discover hidden areas in the game or see things that simply aren’t there in the ‘real world.’

It also means that you get a bunch of cool powers, such as slowing down time to avoid bullet fire and run circles around your enemies. It’s been done before, but that’s just one of the abilities you’ll have access to while playing the game.

Check out the rest of the screenshots for Wolfenstein, releasing on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC later this year, below:

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In an interview that first appeared in gaming magazine, EGM, 1Up have posted a story about the creation and evolution of the upcoming Wolverine game, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which will launch alongside the movie of the same name in May this year. Project Lead at Raven, Dan Vondrak explains the project’s beginnings, which started before the developers knew the movie existed:

“…then there was the possibility of making this Wolverine game, and we were like, ‘Yes, God, please, yes.’ Our first step was…get a room, get 10 guys in it, and make combat so much fun you don’t wanna leave that room.”

Vondrak also mentions some of the game’s influences and how X-Men Origins: Wolverine stacks up to the competition:

“God of War was an influence. Devil May Cry, even Super Smash Bros., to a point. When we play [games like that], we just like the simplicity. Every character has their basic set of moves - that’s simple. People get that, and mass market gets that, so we’re making sure we bring that to Wolverine. People are going to play Wolverine and then be annoyed with how slow other action games are.”

Vondrak contiues by saying; “We’ve gone back and played highly touted action games we all love, and you’re in these attacks forever. And it’s not just the speed - it’s the ease in which you’re able to [break] out of your attacks at any time.”

“I’ve read reviews of Wolverine games, I’ve played previous X-Men games, and you just hate it when you’re like, ‘This isn’t what it’s supposed to be like to fight this guy. I’m Wolverine. How come I can’t ever just grab a guy and rip him in half?’ Yeah, absolutely - let’s do that. Nothing’s holding us back.”

You can read the full X-Men Origins: Wolverine feature over at 1Up.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is coming to Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, NDS, PS2 and PSP in May this year

Activision have announced details surrounding their May 2009 release title, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Planned to coincide with the movie release of the same name, the game follows the adventures of Wolverine, one of Marvel’s most popular characters.

In development at Raven Software (who also developed previous Marvel games, Ultimate Alliance as well as X-Men Legends 1 and 2), X-Men Origins: Wolverine tasks players with joining Wolverine on his journey of escape (from the Weapon X facility) and self-discovery as he learns about his past. Vice president of global brand management at Activision Publishing, Inc., Rob Kostich said:

“We have an amazing team with Raven Studios at the helm, creating what will undoubtedly be the quintessential, true-to-character Wolverine video game experience that fans have been craving. X-Men Origins: Wolverine amps up the action by bringing to life Wolverine’s wholly unique skills such as his brute strength, regenerative mutant abilities, and indestructible adamantium claws and skeleton in an immersive experience that is fitting to one of the most enduring and popular characters of all time.”

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is coming to Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, NDS, PS2 and PSP in May next year.

The first ever footage of the new Wolfenstein game, in development at Raven and under the watchful eye of id Software, has been released!

Using an enhanced Doom3 engine, Wolfenstein is looking pretty good, set in a WWII period, but featuring creepy looking, supernatural abominations with some amazing powers. Kind of like Return to Castle Wolfenstein, then.

Wolfenstein is expected “when it’s done” and will release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.