Sega and Creative Assembly have announced Hyenas, a PvEvP shooter from the team behind Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2.
Set in a future where billionaires have colonized Mars and rendered Earth inhospitable, Hyenas is a fast-paced multiplayer FPS that casts players as anti-hero pirates stealing from the mega-rich. Each match features 15 players split into five teams of three, and these teams compete to steal treasure from a spaceship and escape with the biggest pile of loot. It’s a bit like Hunt: Showdown, but with the slick and fast sensibilities of Apex Legends.
To complicate matters further, an AI-controlled security force defends the chests containing the treasures you seek; known as MFPFs (or “murphs”), these guards will fight anyone who tries to rob the billionaires.
“These ships aren’t defenseless,” creative director Charlie Bewsher explained in a conversation with IGN. “They are full of security devices, sensors, switches, interactive systems and gadgets. It’s a great environment for this competitive game. »
Since the maps are set on freighters traveling between Earth and Mars, there’s also zero gravity to contend with. Certain segments of the maps will have no gravity, allowing you to float and use 3D space in new ways. Other locations, such as single rooms and hallways, also have on/off switches for zero-g. Figures have maglock boots to help overcome gravity issues, if zooming around freestyle isn’t your preferred method of movement.
With plenty of corridors, vaults, halls, and hangar spaces, each Hyena map is quite large. Creative Assembly says to expect something bigger than a regular PvP deathmatch map, but something not as big as a battle royale map. Despite this, the team drew inspiration from the type of gameplay seen in games like Fortnite and Warzone.
“We didn’t want to make a battle royale, but we wanted to take this idea of creating this unpredictable, chaotic space where players would find this new gameplay, find new tactics, and ultimately find new player stories,” Bewsher said. .
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Each match takes place aboard a cargo spacecraft that transports objects from the remnants of Earth to Mars. But these items, now redeemed for massive cash by billionaires, might not be what you expected. In the world of Hyenas, pop culture artifacts from Earth’s past are the new diamonds, so you’ll steal anything from Rubik’s Cubes and Sony Walkman tape recorders to Sonic statues and Green Army Men. . Bewsher even says you might end up looting the first album you’ve ever bought, and promises you’ll see lots of different pop culture IPs represented in the game.
The cinematic reveal trailer shows a cargo ship piled high with New York-themed memorabilia, including everything from subway cars to the Statue of Liberty herself. Hyenas certainly don’t take themselves seriously, and his colorful comic book-style art reflects that.
Creative Assembly has yet to detail all of the playable characters, but notes that they each fall into one of three categories: engage, dodge, and exploit. Engaged characters are action-oriented, while escape heroes focus on nimble movement and sometimes stealth. The exploitation characters, on the other hand, are the pirates and the support characters.
As part of the announcement stream on IGN, Creative Assembly has verified the names of a few of Hyenas’ heroes. The Pro is a classic style bank robber with a shotgun, deployable turret and a President Nixon mask. Commander Wright is an astronaut with a foam gun who can quickly create barricades, cover, and climbing platforms. Doc Hotfix is a gamer who believes he’s a character in a game, and so comes up with a revolutionary fourth comment. A few other characters can be seen in the trailer, but they have yet to be detailed.
No release date for Hyenas has been announced so far, but a playable alpha version is planned and can be purchased at playhyenas.com. When Hyenas finally releases, it will be available on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.