Hyenas was first announced in June 2022 as a sci-fi multiplayer FPS by the developers of Alien: Isolation and the Total War series. Suffice it to say, there was immediately some surprise that Creative Assembly decided to shift focus to multiplayer FPS. The announcement trailer for Hyenas left even more people confused, with gameplay looking heavily influenced by Apex Legends and Overwatch, but text descriptions hinting at a more Escape From Tarkov style of game. The alpha tests will have to answer a lot of questions.
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Instead of announcing just one alpha test, Creative Assembly unveiled what it calls Hyenas’ PC Alpha Timeline. The timeline is made up of four different alpha test weekends, each of which will be invite-only. The first test, Weekend 1, is planned for this upcoming weekend. Between January 20 and January 23, interested shooter fans who are lucky enough to be invited will be able to try out Hyenas for the first time. It’s unclear if the alpha tests will be under NDA.
Weekend 2 through Weekend 4 Hyenas alpha tests will take place monthly going into April. Weekend 2 runs from February 17 through February 20, Weekend 3 is between March 10 and March 13, and Weekend 4 starts March 31 and ends April 3. Odds are Creative Assembly will host further tests, running a beta and even building to an open beta, further down the line. For now, though, it’s just these closed alpha tests confirmed for Hyenas.
As part of the PC Alpha Timeline reveal, Creative Assembly also revealed a new Hyenas map named Manhattan. Manhattan features landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the iconic “We Are Happy to Serve You” Greek coffee cup, sections of the Brooklyn Bridge, and more, transported into a space station as some kind of Earth museum. When Creative Assembly said Hyenas players will be stealing from the rich, this space station full of pieces of Manhattan should help convey just how rich.
Those interested in seeing just what Hyenas is all about, whether it’s more Apex Legends or Escape From Tarkov, can register for the alpha test on the game’s official website. Not everyone is guaranteed to be invited, but there’s no harm in signing up. Expect to hear much more about Hyenas in the weeks and months to come.
Hyenas is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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