Wargaming, the online game company behind the hit World of Tanks and World of Warships franchises, announced its new original intellectual property Steel Hunters – a free-to-play, mech hero shooter that uniquely blends battle royale and extraction mechanics.
The game offers an intense mech power fantasy where you control formidable mechanical giants – Hunters – and participate in action-packed battles, pursuing various objectives to level up and acquire gear.
Each Hunter comes with its own distinct playstyle, unique ability kits and progression systems that allow for a variety of strategy and tactics to outmatch opponents as they push toward the final showdown at the extraction point.
“This is a massive moment for Wargaming,” said Victor Kislyi, Wargaming CEO, in a statement. “We are best known for creating immersive and sustainable digital hobbies for millions of gamers around the world. With Steel Hunters, we’re pushing past our boundaries and bringing something completely new. Our ambition is to create one of the most exhilarating and compelling mech experiences ever.”
“Steel Hunters is the result of incredible teamwork and dedication of our talented people in Guilford, Prague and our studios around the world,” said Mike McDonald, product director. “Over the past three years, we’ve worked relentlessly to create a game that offers a unique take on the mech shooter space by combining elements of different genres into one compelling mix. Today we’re finally ready to show players what we’ve been building.”
Set in a futuristic world, Steel Hunters tells the story of humanity’s fight for survival following a catastrophic event. To secure a rare extraterrestrial resource called Starfall, Hunters were created. In their clash for domination, Corporations and Factions transformed Hunters into fearsome combat machines, used in the race to conquer the scarce resource across the ruins of a green but abandoned Earth.
The time has come to embrace the power of a mighty Steel Hunter and prepare to join the action! Don’t wait another minute and sign up for the exclusive 10-day closed playtest.
Key Features
- A new take on battle royale and extraction – The game combines mechanics from Hero Shooters, battle royal and extraction. Players engage in battles with a unique Hunter within a PvPvE arena, pursuing various objectives to level up and acquire gear, ultimately culminating in a final showdown at the extraction point.
- Master distinct mechanical giants – The fun of Steel Hunters lies in learning and mastering individual Hunters and using their ability kits and progression systems in the most effective way.
- Tactics over reflexes – Unlike more traditional shooters, it’s not all about short reaction time but understanding your Hunter strengths, weaknesses, abilities, cooldowns, and synergies. The maps allow for meaningful tactical choices and offer opportunities for flanking or ambushing enemies.
- Duo Symbiosis – Cooperation is crucial to achieve victory. Whether you’re playing with a friend or matched with another Hunter, combining tactics and abilities with your duo partner is what will make the difference in the Hunting Grounds.
- Spectacular grounded gameplay – Built on the Unreal Engine 5, the game immerses the player in a highly realistic world and delivers a strong power fantasy, thanks to spectacular battle mechs. The destructible environment on the map reinforces this, while also allowing for more tactical gameplay.
- High level of customization – Players can customize their Hunters with distinct build options, allowing them to create unique gear combinations. Additionally, collectibles and cosmetics offer opportunities to express personal style and individuality.
Wargaming is an online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 15 offices around the world. This game was made in the Wargaming office in Guildford, United Kingdom.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve announced anything that’s not in the ‘World of’ genre,” said McDonald in an interview with GamesBeat. “In the beta, everybody can join and play the game. We are very excited. I think we have something really cool and unique here.”
The team is building the game on Unreal Engine 5 for the PC first as a third-person shooter game that pulls elements from hero shooters, battle royale and extraction shooters. The game will release first on the Wargaming Game Center and Steam, with console versions coming later.
In Steel Hunters, players take control of mechanical giants, dubbed Hunters. They are actually mechs because they have their own personality. They are actually people that are fused with mechs. They play in dual PvPvE battles with six teams of two.
There are extensive customization options both in the match and outside the match. The game is set in a post-cataclysmic world, and the player’s objective is to protect Starfall. Starfall is like the oil of the new world.
“It helps humanity survive after the world ending event humanity in underground facilities or in space facilities,” McDonald said.
The battle will put to the test the tactical skills of players. The second big pillar is dual symbiosis, where teams of two can deeply collaborate. The game will start with seven Hunters, and each of them are from eight to 15 meters tall.
The third-person shooter game has a more deliberate pace to give players the time to make good tactical decisions. Resource management is going to be crucial and there are a limited amount of repair kits that the mechs can carry. Ammunition is limited. Towers spawn on the map and these provide focal points for the player-versus-player engagements to happen. Hunters can be modified in various ways.
The Trenchwalker Hunter is a combat archetype with an assault rifle that fires in bursts. The mechs can burst through buildings. Each map is like a whole neighborhood. There’s a vertical progression and a technology tree where players can assign skill points and make choices for mech customization.
Wargaming has had a lot of efforts under way to make games, and some have been canceled along the way for various reasons. Steel Hunters has been in the works for a few years with a team of 210 people working in Guildford and Prague.
In the game’s future, Earth becomes uninhabitable. A big meteor strike hits the planet and this material called Starfall rains down from the skies. And there are certain people in the universe who are immune to the effects.
There could be an esports element over time, but only if gamers embrace the title in a big way. The interest has to be there first, said Dan Tanaescescu, publishing director at Wargaming, in an interview.
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