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Hyenas is the new multiplayer FPS from Creative Assembly – the studio responsible for Alien Isolation, Halo Wars 2, and the Total War franchise. It looks like a wild extraction experience, where multiple teams feed into a single location to try and pull the most valuable loot away out from the hands of other players and AI defenders. It looks awesome and, with the first Hyenas alpha now live, we are finally getting a chance to experience it for ourselves.
Creative Assembly is building an ambitious entry into what is arguably one of the most competitive markets in the industry – the team-based, multiplayer shooter space. To stand apart from the competition, the studio is infusing Hyenas with hectic zero-gravity combat and a hell of a lot of personality. There’s still plenty to learn about this new title, but we do have some sense of its vibe and the sort of FPS action Sega is shooting for with this 2023 release. So keep on reading to discover everything we know so far about Hyenas, the bombastic new multiplayer shooter from Creative Assembly.
Hyenas release date
Creative Assembly is yet to announce a Hyenas release date, but we do know that the game will come out in 2023. While the upcoming multiplayer shooter has been in development for four years already, the studio still has some work to do to get Hyenas ready for prime time. If you can’t wait for 2023 to get your first taste of the action, Sega is already set for its first closed alpha test.
Hyenas platforms
Hyenas is set to launch on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC in 2023. This will be Creative Assembly’s first game developed for the new-gen systems, but, given the fidelity and quality of Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2, we’re keen to see what the studio is able to squeeze out of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Creative Assembly is yet to confirm whether Hyenas crossplay will be supported between its supported platforms.
Hyenas alpha
The first Hyenas alpha is now live for PC players in the US and Europe. The test is designed to get the new multiplayer FPS into “the hands of its most important critics” – which is you, the player! The Hyenas alpha is set to run between 6am PT / 9am ET July 14 and until 1am PT / 4am ET on July 18.
If you want to sign up for the Hyenas alpha you need a Steam account, a Creative Assembly account, and to register interest at the official Hyenas website (opens in new tab). Previously, here’s what David Nicholson, Hyenas’ executive producer said about the playtest: “To take on the biggest games in the industry, we need to hear what players think, right up front and early. If you’re in, we want to take you along for the ride. That’s why after today’s announcement, we’re also launching into the first of our public Alpha tests.”
Hyenas specs
While Creative Assembly is yet to reveal the final specs required to play Hyenas in 2023, we do know the minimum and recommended for the alpha. The studio says that “as this is the first alpha, the system requirements are high. The team is working hard on optimising the game and lowering these specs. We’ll have more updates for you in the future. A general rule of thumb at the moment is that if your PC is over 5 years old, you’ll likely be unable to run Hyenas.”
The minimum spec required to play Hyenas alpha is:
The recommended spec for playing Hyenas alpha is:
Hyenas trailer
The first Hyenas trailer is a pretty wild introduction to Creative Assembly’s new shooter. Where Alien Isolation was dark, desolate, and retro-futuristic, Hyenas is brighter and more vibrant in style. This trailer is designed to give us a first taste of the quick movement mechanics and lethal combat that takes place in zero-gravity zones. It looks like it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun, which you can see for yourself in the Hyenas reveal trailer above.
Hyenas story
Hyenas is, principally, a competitive multiplayer shooter – but that doesn’t mean it won’t have a story holding it all together. According to Creative Assembly, Hyenas will thrust us into a world broken by billionaires; they left the Earth behind to colonize Mars, and the zero-gravity tech they used to power their journey shattered our planet in the process. What remains of humanity is stuck in a drifting slum affectionately titled the ‘Taint’.
If that weren’t enough, the billionaires have a newfound fascination with relics from the old world: Panini sticker albums, PEZ dispensers, and any SEGA related merchandise that they can procure from the rumble of Earth, be it functioning SEGA Mega Drives or Sonic the Hedgehog keychains. It’ll be our job to steal it all back from massive spaceship shopping malls, known as Plunderships, before the tat can be used to furnish expensive Martian mansions.
Hyenas gameplay
While we are yet to see Hyenas gameplay in action for ourselves, Creative Assembly has given us an idea of what to expect from its FPS. For starters, a round of Hyenas supports up-to 15 players. Five crews enter a round, each staffed by three players – tasked with working to grab the best loot on the Plundership and then make a clean getaway.
There will be other threats besides rival players to contend with too, as each of the ships are “a sandbox playground of interlocking systems” which will create “endless opportunities for slick teams to exploit the environment, security networks, hired goons, and competing crews to gain an edge.”
Creative Assembly says that we’ll be able to pick and choose between multiple Hyenas to assemble our squads. Each hero has their own unique skills and weapons – such as a deployable mech suit, or a weapon that looks suspiciously similar to the GLOO Cannon from Arkane’s Prey. The developer says we should expect “blisteringly quick movement and lethal combat” which can even tumble into switchable zero-gravity areas, which will add a twist to traditional shootouts.
Without seeing gameplay for ourselves it’s difficult to get a real sense of what Hyenas will play like, but our read of the action makes it sound like Hunt Showdown mixed with Brink, from the team that gave us Alien Isolation. A wild concept? Sure. But right now it is saying all the right things, including a promise that Hyenas won’t include any pay-to-win mechanics.
Hyenas development
Hyenas has been in development for four years, and first teased the multiplayer shooter last spring with a mysterious screenshot. With the Hyenas announcement on June 22 , we finally have a better sense of what SEGA’s next shot at a shooter will be like. While Creative Assembly is typically known as the master of the strategy genre – thanks to its tireless work evolving the Total War franchise – the studio did take a big swing in 2014 when it launched Alien Isolation, a truly revolutionary survival horror game. Whether Hyenas can do for competitive multiplayer shooters what Alien Isolation did for horror games remains to be seen, but we can’t wait to find out for certain.
