Death of a Game: Hyenas
nerdSlayer Studios・2 minutes read
Hyenas, a game by Creative Assembly, faced development challenges leading to its cancellation in September 2023 by Sega due to profitability issues and unresolved monetization problems. Despite positive aspects like visuals, the game struggled with controversial characters, lack of believable world-building, and engagement, resulting in its status as Sega's most expensive and significant failure.
Insights
- The development of the game Hyenas faced significant challenges, including delays, team member departures, and a shift in focus, highlighting the importance of choosing the right game engine and design direction early on to avoid complications later in the development process.
- The cancellation of Hyenas in September 2023 by Sega was attributed to profitability concerns, development time, and monetization issues, underscoring the critical role these factors play in determining the success or failure of a game project, even one with promising visuals and gameplay mechanics.
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Recent questions
What caused the cancellation of the game Hyenas?
The cancellation of the game Hyenas in September 2023 was primarily due to a lack of profitability, extensive development time, and unresolved monetization issues. Despite facing challenges throughout its development, including delays, team member departures, and mixed feedback during alpha and beta tests, the ultimate decision to cancel the game was made by Sega, marking it as their most expensive and biggest failure.
What was the core concept of the game Hyenas?
The core concept of the game Hyenas was a pvpve extraction shooter set in space, offering a multiplayer heist experience with a comic book aesthetic. Players could form teams of three and compete for retro loot in a visually appealing world resembling Borderlands. However, despite solid gameplay mechanics, the game struggled to engage players due to issues with character design, world-building, and a lack of a cohesive game concept.
Who was the lead game director of Hyenas?
The lead game director of Hyenas was David Nicholson, who reportedly was relieved of his position in the summer of 2023. His departure may have been influenced by Sega's dissatisfaction with the game's progress and rising costs. Nicholson's removal marked a significant development in the troubled production of Hyenas.
What were the main concerns raised about the game Hyenas?
The main concerns raised about the game Hyenas included issues with the believability and likability of the diverse cast of characters, as well as the lack of a believable world or stakes in the game. Players and journalists were unsure of the game's identity, and feedback during alpha and beta tests highlighted problems with the retroarcade gear as currency and the overall game concept.
How did the development challenges impact the game Hyenas?
The development challenges faced by Hyenas, such as delays, team member departures, and mixed feedback during testing, significantly impacted the game's overall success. Sega admitted to difficulties with the game by August 2023, leading to a closed beta with a limited number of players. These challenges ultimately contributed to the game's cancellation in September 2023, marking it as a costly failure for Sega.
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Summary
00:00
Hyenas: Canceled Game with Troubled Development
- Hyenas, a canceled game by Creative Assembly, was abruptly canceled in September 2023 after being revealed to the public in the fall of 2023.
- The development of Hyenas began as a code name project called Katon in 2017, with the team facing challenges due to a divide on using Unreal 4 or their in-house engine.
- The decision to use Unreal 4 led to delays and team members leaving, resulting in a shift to focus on core design and hiring UE4 technicians.
- Hyenas, announced in June 2022, was described as a multiplayer heist experience set in space with a comic book aesthetic, allowing for up to five teams of three to compete for retro loot.
- The game's visuals were praised for their quality of animations, colors, and gameplay, resembling Borderlands, but concerns arose about the believability and likability of the diverse cast.
- The lead game director, David Nicholson, was reportedly relieved of his position in the summer of 2023, possibly due to Sega's dissatisfaction with the game's progress and rising costs.
- A debate between Sega and Creative Assembly regarding the business model of Hyenas, with Sega favoring a buy-to-play model while CA pushed for a free-to-play model, reminiscent of the failed Law Breakers.
- By August 2023, Hyenas faced uncertainty about its launch, with mixed feedback during alpha and beta tests, leading to a cinematic trailer reveal at Gamescom that left players and journalists unsure of the game's identity.
- The core concept of Hyenas remained a pvpve extraction shooter, but player feedback criticized the retroarcade gear as currency and the lack of a believable world or stakes in the game.
- Despite having solid gameplay, Hyenas struggled to engage players due to a lack of proper character design and a cohesive game concept, highlighting the importance of a compelling game design and gameplay loop.
13:37
Sega's Hyenas: Diverse Characters, Development Challenges, Cancellation
- Sega's game, Hyenas, featured a diverse cast of characters including an astronaut, ballerina, drag queen, and tech dad, with personalities and looks reminiscent of comic Pop Style characters.
- The game's world, called the Taint, lacked cohesive world-building, with random stereotypes seemingly pulled from reality and introduced without clear relevance.
- Despite some positive aspects, such as hyenas in the game, issues with controversial characters and stereotypes arose due to the lack of societal concepts in the game's setting.
- Development challenges plagued Hyenas, with Sega admitting to difficulties with the game by August 2023, leading to a closed beta with only 2200 players.
- Ultimately, Hyenas was canceled by Sega in September 2023 due to a lack of profitability, extensive development time, and unresolved monetization issues, marking it as Sega's most expensive and biggest failure.
