Wargaming is perhaps best known for World of Tanks and World of Warships franchise, but it seems the intention is to add another household name to that list: Hunters of steel. Wargaming pulled the curtain on this new title at The Game Awards 2024. Its latest IP, Hunters of steel is a free-to-play PvPvE Mech game that contains elements of the hero shooter, battle royale, and extraction genres.
IN Hunters of steelplayers are not pilots operating mechanics; The Mechs, known as Hunters, were given souls to fight for Starfall. A cataclysmic event has left humanity nearly extinct and struggling for survival, with its future dependent on a rare alien resource known as Starfall. This material is scattered throughout the devastated Earth, with megacorporations and other factions using the Hunters to wage war against each other for this resource.
As Wargaming takes on the hero shooter, each Hunter is a fully fleshed out character with their own distinct playstyle, kits and progression systems. Games can be won by extracting needed resources, leaving other hunters on the map empty-handed, or eliminating all other hunters on the map. As such, Hunters itself feels like it was ripped from the popular hero shooter genre, but the gameplay taps into the popularity of battle royale and extraction games. One key difference is that Hunters of steel emphasizes tactics and understanding team and individual hunters over quick reflexes (as seen in traditional shooters).
Hunters
A crucial aspect is Duo Symbiosis, where players can combine tactics and abilities with another Hunter. In general, each Hunter's build and tactics can be customized with unique gear combinations (and of course collectibles and cosmetics) to face other Hunters in the Hunting Grounds. While it remains to be seen how the customization works, from a gameplay and cosmetic standpoint, the design of each Mech opens up a lot of doors. These mechs aren't just humanoids like Heartbreaker or Trenchwalker, but some borrow animal design elements like Ursus and Fenris.
Although it remains to be seen when fans will be able to fully immerse themselves in The Hunting Grounds Hunters of steelwith some fans getting to see what the game has to offer a little earlier. Hunters of steel is holding a 10-day closed playtest via PC, and fans can expect more news throughout 2025.
Wargaming
- Date of establishment
- August 2, 1988
- Headquarters
- Minsk, Belarus
