Crytek’s competitive bounty hunting game Hunt: Showdown is set to be released on PC and Xbox One August 20, with a PS4 release following later this fall. The game has been in Early Access on Steam since February 2018, and joined Xbox Game Preview in May 2019.

Hunt: Showdown is an online multiplayer game that combines PvP and PvE combat. In each match, players explore a map crawling with enemies as they track the level’s boss using supernatural powers. Rather than the last player standing, it’s the player (or team of two) who takes down the boss that wins, but only if they can defend themselves against other players on the server, who get a chance to steal their kill and the rewards that come with it. A match can actually end without a single player dying, which is good news, as Hunt: Showdown includes perma-death, so dying once permanently deletes that character. 

Related: Hunt: Showdown Closed Alpha Impressions, Tips & Tricks Guide

According to Gematsu, Hunt: Showdown would release both a physical and digital release, with a price of $39.99. Anyone who purchases the game while it’s still in Early Access will receive an exclusive weapon skin when it launches. As Gematsu reports, Crytek has been diligent about updating the game during its Early Access period, delivering nearly 20 patches in the 15 months it’s been out. 

Hunt: Showdown as day and night missions

Crytek may not be best known for multiplayer games, but the studio’s first-person shooter chops are undeniable. After developing the original Far Cry, it moved on to Crysis, a well reviewed game that was so technically impressive that it became the gold standard for benchmarking PC performance for years afterward. Crytek’s games all run on some version of CryEngine, the studio’s proprietary game engine, which has also been licensed for dozens of games by other studios. Hunt: Showdown will run on CryEngine V, the engine’s latest version, which was released in 2017.

It may sound strange, but Hunt: Showdown’s uniqueness seems to work for it and against it equally. The Battle Royale craze is undeniable right now, and Hunt: Showdown shares little with the popular genre. While that will undoubtedly draw players who are looking for a change of pace, it may also turn off those who have grown used to the conventions of games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. Though it’s not the most popular multiplayer game out there - currently not even cracking the top 100 games on Steam - Hunt: Showdown has had a decent following throughout its time in Early Access, and it’s likely to at least stir up some conversation when the full version launches this summer.

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Source: Gematsu