In 2021, Treatment Leisure introduced that it had partnered with Tencent and began engaged on a free-to-play multiplayer title codenamed Vanguard. Earlier this yr, the developer confirmed that the title, nonetheless within the proof-of-concept stage of manufacturing, required far more work earlier than shifting forward, and now, Treatment has announced that the challenge is altering gears fairly considerably.
Vanguard is being rebooted, and is now being developed as a premium (i.e. paid) title. Now given the identify codename Kestrel, Treatment says it would have “a robust, cooperative multiplayer element.” The studio, along with Tencent, determined to vary route “resulting from uncertainties in making a profitable sport to the quickly altering free-to-play market and related dangers.”
Treatment additionally confirms that, with the challenge having been rebooted, it’s returning to the idea stage of improvement. “Core management and choose members” from the challenge’s improvement workforce will proceed to work on it, whereas the remainder will probably be moved to different initiatives which are at the moment within the works on the studio. As Kestrel, the sport will now “lean extra into Treatment’s core strengths”, whereas nonetheless being “constructed on lots of the options, property, and themes already designed for Vanguard.”
CEO Tero Virtala mentioned, “We have now made some nice strides in free-to-play and multiplayer improvement in Vanguard. After a whole lot of cautious consideration, we consider that taking up a brand new route the place the sport will probably be constructed extra round Treatment’s core competences is the precise strategy to go. We’re creating one other distinct Treatment sport with Tencent’s continued assist in making an important cooperative multiplayer expertise.”
Past Kestrel, Treatment Leisure has numerous main initiatives within the works. The studio is at the moment engaged on two expansions for the recently-released Alan Wake 2, and not too long ago confirmed that Max Payne 1 and a pair of Remake has moved into the manufacturing readiness stage. Multiplayer Management spinoff Condor has additionally made related progress, whereas Management 2 stays within the proof-of-concept stage.