Five years after free-to-play multiplayer mech shooter Hawken was pulled offline following a tumultuous development, the brand is being revived by 505 Games as the PvE-focused, and initially single-player, Hawken Reborn.
The original Hawken burst onto the scene back in 2011 with an eye-catching work-in-progress trailer, but it struggled to find an audience once out in the real world. A failed early access attempt in 2014 saw development stall until a “relaunch” in 2017, but even that wasn’t enough to get bums in mechs, and the game’s PC servers were yanked for good the following year.
Which does make Hawken something of an odd choice for a revival, but here we are, five years later, with the free-to-play Hawken Reborn now listed on Steam and poised to launch into early access as a “genuinely early-in-development” title this Wednesday, 17th May.
This initial version of Hawken Reborn, described as being “very early in its lifecycle”, will feature six playable story missions accessible via its Merc Net menu, one playable zone, and radio missions for “early replayability and exploration”. It’ll also include five mechs, plus “multiple weapons and thrusters to craft and tailor to your playstyle”.
505 says it expects Hawken Reborn to remain in Steam early access for around 18 months, with new content coming “once our key foundations are in place”. These new additions will include new mechs and missions, with co-operative multiplayer and “an epic story” coming as part of the game’s full launch at a later date.
505 makes no mention of platform plans beyond PC, but curious sorts can get a first taste of Hawken Reborn when it enters Steam early access this Wednesday, 17th May.
