Video Games
‘Hunt: Showdown’ Receiving Engine Upgrade Next Year
Five years on, and Crytek is still keeping at it with their PvPvE shooter Hunt: Showdown. And much like what Behaviour Interactive did with an engine upgrade for Dead By Daylight a few years ago, Crytek is also following suit next year with Hunt: Showdown upgrading to the latest version of CryEngine for PC and consoles.
Speaking with PC Gamer, Hunt general manager David Fifield, Hunt enters “a new era” with the upgrade, which despite what some players want, is as close to a proposed sequel as you’ll get for the time being. “That has been a conversation internally about when or if we should rename or rebrand the product with some major update, or when we launch with the integrated engine update to run native on the latest generation of consoles. Watching how those transitions have gone with other service games, we decided on continuing Hunt: Showdown and to not set expectations of replacing it.”
The upgrade to Hunt‘s engine will grant Crytek the ability to crank out updates easier, as well as trying out new ideas, allowing “fewer people [to] get more things done faster,” such as in the case with this year’s “Tide of Shadows” Event that introduced the boss Rotjaw into the game. According to Fifield, Crytek’s strategy with Hunt is akin to Epic Games’ Fortnite, where the former’s tech was gradually upgraded alongside the larger changes in the “Chapter” updates.
“If you want to think of it as Hunt 2 you’re welcome to,” Fifield said, “but I’m not going to charge you, I’m not going to take away anything you’ve bought, I’m not going to decrease your value or your investment because I want you to keep playing.”
As such, the upgrade will result in Hunt: Showdown dropping support for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, as the system requirements will push the older generation consoles out of reach. Fifield sees this as a necessary evil, as older console players make up less than 10% of the game’s console engagement. Not to fret, as free upgrades to the current-gen versions will be available for previous-gen players.
Alongside the upgrade in 2024, Hunt: Showdown will see its first new map in three years, and a revamp to its progression system.
Hunt: Showdown is currently available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series.
Moon Studios dropped a new trailer during the Sony State of Play for their dark action-RPG No Rest for the Wicked, while also hinting at the long-awaited launch window for the full 1.0 release. The game, which has been in Early Access on Steam since April 2024, will be launching this October in full for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, while versions for the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 will arrive at a later date.
As a token of appreciation for supporters new and old, Moon Studios is offering an exclusive Early Access Founder’s Pack, a free limited edition bundle available for anyone who purchases the game on Steam prior to July 10, with rewards unlocking when 1.0 officially launches. PlayStation 5 users can receive the Early Access Founder’s Pack by pre-ordering the game once available, any time before launch day.
The Founder’s Pack includes:
- A New Secret Hideout: Spirit Cavern – The legacy of Moon Studios now lives inside No Rest for the Wicked, exclusively for Founders. A hand-crafted home that bridges both worlds.
- Sayer’s Vow: An all new Sword in the stone reserved just for the founders that only early adopters can extract in the game world.
- A Custom Founders Tag ensures players are clearly identified as early adopters.
- As a Founder member, players will get access to an exclusive Public Beta Test Realm reserved just for them, even after the 1.0 game launch.
As for the full 1.0 release, it will be a massive expansion of the core experience, introducing a staggering 60+ hours of new content, a new horde mode, powerful new weapons, bosses and enemies, new areas and a completely reimagined class system.
In No Rest for the Wicked, players take on the role of a “Cerim,” a member of a holy order imbued with mysterious powers, tasked with destroying the Pestilence, an ancient plague that has begun to consume the island Isola Sacra, itself already the site of great political upheaval and death.