Crytek's Hunt: Showdown Hits Early Access, New Region Servers Incoming

The daily maintenance schedule is set, so strap in for this competitive survival FPS.

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The experience in the Hunt: Showdown closed alpha was a bit spotty, as it should be at that stage, but it was evident that Crytek has a gem on their hands. As such, the team wants to take their time shaping the game, which entered Early Access this week and is expected to be there for at least a year.

Hunt: Showdown appeared in the Radio Silent collection of games that we're anticipating at Shacknews, but has since gone into closed Alpha and Early Access.

“Early Access is a big milestone for the team, and we are all excited to finally be releasing Hunt: Showdown out into the wild,” said Hunt: Showdown Creative Director Magnus Larbrant in a press release announcing the launch. “With Hunt, we wanted to make the game that we, as gamers, have always wanted to play ourselves: tense, dark, addictive, terrifying—a real adrenaline-pumping experience. We have the foundations laid out, and now with the support and input of the community during Early Access, we can polish that experience together.”

If you’re not aware, matches in Hunt: Showdown consist of up to five teams of two and, beyond potentially encountering these other hunters as you peruse the map, you'll draw the attention of all surviving teams once you acquire your bounty. After killing the target, it must be banished in order for you to collect your reward and this will give away your position. The final wave begins then and you must survive the monsters in your vicinity that are attracted and the hunters that come for your bounty.

The meta for this game is still a moving target, especially considering how the hunters you use are permanently dead if you get killed in a match. You can still level up your family bloodline, but the incentive for entering a match and getting out with your life, even if you don’t get the bounty, is something Crytek will have to highlight in some way.

Hunt: Showdown is available via Steam Early Access for $29.99 and the price will likely rise when it launches in full. Additional release notes and the daily maintenance schedule can be found on the Steam community page. EU and US servers are available now and more are planned depending on the locations of those participating in the EA phase.

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.

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