Crytek will drop last-gen console support for Hunt: Showdown this summer.
At the same time, it will offer players the chance to upgrade to newly launched current-gen versions of the shooter, which will introduce a fresh map and performance improvements on consoles and PC.
David Fifield, general manager for the Hunt franchise, elaborated on Crytek’s plans for the game in a developer update video, which is viewable above.
“This summer will usher in a whole new era of Hunt, as our update to CryEngine 5.11 goes live on August 15, 2024,” he said.
“After this is live and running natively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, you will no longer be able to play at all on the older generations of consoles and will need to upgrade.
“To those affected, again, we want to be clear – your player accounts and entitlements to Hunt: Showdown and all related DLCs carry up to the new version at no additional cost when you’re ready to make the hardware transition.”
Billed as “a competitive first-person PvP bounty hunting game with heavy PvE elements”, Hunt: Showdown was released for PC and Xbox One in 2019, before making its way to PS4 the following year.
Fifield said Crytek is aware that players have “hundreds more questions that need addressing”, and said the company plans to do so via a series of updates and responses to concerns over the coming months.
These will include a new weekly video series, which will offer a look at the game’s updated UX/UI design, technological upgrades and performance improvements, and the latest steps being taken to combat cheating.
They’ll also be used to discuss the evolution of Hunter recruitment / Prestige systems, changes being made to the progression system, and decisions being taken around Hunter revival, Health Chunks, restorations, and burning downed Hunters.