Hero-based looter-shooter Hyenas Cancelled by SEGA
The highly-anticipated game Hyenas from Creative Assembly has recently been cancelled by its parent company SEGA. This unfortunate decision has led to layoffs as SEGA works to consolidate its teams in the EU.
Struggles in Development
The extent to which Hyenas struggled during its development was not previously clear, but reports now reveal that it was SEGA’s “biggest budget game ever”.
Frustration among Developers
A new video published by YouTuber Volound sheds light on the struggles faced by the developers. They express their frustration, with one even referring to the game as a “metaphorical turd”.
The videos reveal that the game lacked direction for a significant portion of its development. Key decisions, such as choosing the engine to continue with, took too long and wasted valuable time and resources.
Neil Blomkamp’s consultation on the project provided some direction and motivation to the developers, but overall, the game felt aimless.
“I feel that because [Creative Assembly] had that corporate backing, it was very much a case of ignore the bad feedback and push towards polishing this metaphorical turd into what the publisher has invested in producing. So much money was thrown at this project that ultimately SEGA must have thought it was going to be more beneficial to not have the negative press of another failed release versus trying to consolidate their financial loss,” said one developer.
Fallout and Impact on Creative Assembly
Developers are particularly frustrated by the consequences of Hyenas’ cancellation and the financial losses associated with the project. This has led to potential job cuts for individuals at Creative Assembly who had no involvement in Hyenas.
There is already a challenging environment in the industry, characterized by layoffs occurring across studios and publishers of all sizes.
Watch Volound’s Video
You can watch Volound’s video below to learn more about the struggles faced by Hyenas and its developers.
Source – Volound on YouTube via Eurogamer
