Sega Cancelled Hyenas project has become a hot topic in the gaming community. New information has surfaced regarding the development of a game called ‘Hyenas which was an effort, between Sega and Creative Assembly. Its been reported that ‘Hyenas became Segas undertaking to date even before it was ultimately canceled.
Sega recently made an announcement about discontinuing the multiplayer shooter game, which had been in progress for over six years. Creative Assembly hinted that the decision was influenced by the games nature and the oversaturated market for multiplayer shooters.
A recent video by Volound, a Total War YouTuber corroborated by sources from VGC shed light on the challenges faced during the development of this game. Developers who chose to remain mentioned factors such as a lack of vision switching engines midway through development and uncertain design choices as contributing elements to its downfall.
Originally known as ‘Project Keaton’ Hyenas received approval after Alien Isolation achieved success. The vision for this game was a PvPvE shooter where players would form teams of three to raid vaults engage in combat, with AI enemies and other player teams. The backdrop of this game took place in a apocalyptic Earth where survival depended on scavenging in a world controlled by the privileged few.
A noteworthy change occurred when the decision was made to switch from using the Alien; Isolation engine to Unreal Engine. This shift required reallocating some team members to work on Total War.
Interestingly in 2019 the renowned Hollywood director Neill Blomkamp paid a visit, to Creative Assembly. According to sources Blomkamp, famous for his work on films like District 9 offered insights and suggestions regarding the games direction. His vision revolved around a world where physical media such, as DVD boxsets and music held value and significance.
Nevertheless despite Blomkamps input the game encountered difficulties when it came to defining its direction and establishing a business model. Sega Cancelled Hyenas was initially set for consoles and PC. However it was, in the summer of 2023 when Sega subtly suggested a transition towards a to play approach.
According to insider information after conducting Alpha tests it seems that Sega wasn’t entirely content, with the games development. This particular game was a component of Segas ambitious ‘Super Game’ project. Had an astonishing budget that surpassed even the renowned 1999 game Shenmue, which itself had a budget of approximately $70 million.
The cancellation of Sega Cancelled Hyenas has had repercussions beyond the game’s development team. There have been reports of job cuts happening at Creative Assembly impacting departments that are not directly involved in the development of the game.
The story of Sega Cancelled Hyenas serves as a cautionary tale in the gaming industry, emphasizing the importance of clear direction, budget management, and market analysis.