Sega’s Biggest Budget Game, Hyenas, Cancelled After 6 Years of Development

According to a video published by YouTuber Volound, live service shooter Hyenas ranked as Sega’s biggest budget game ever before the project was cancelled just last week.

Hyenas, developed by Creative Assembly, had been in the works for at least six years. However, Sega announced the cancellation of the game as well as other unannounced projects from its European studios.

An anonymous developer provided some insight into the reasons behind the cancellation:

“So what went wrong? Total lack of direction, many of the leadership asleep at the wheel but they never seem to lose their jobs. An engine change, part way through the process. Attempting to break into a saturated market, and not committing to do anything adventurous with the game.”

In the early days, Hyenas aimed for a ‘lovable rogues’ vibe, set in a messed-up world controlled by the elite. It drew inspiration from Han Solo and Firefly, with a gritty sci-fi setting and a touch of NASA. However, specific details about the game remained vague.

Sources revealed that Neill Blomkamp, the director of films such as District 9 and Elysium, was a big fan of Creative Assembly’s Alien Isolation. Blomkamp’s visit to the studio was to provide feedback on Hyenas’ direction.

One source commented on Blomkamp’s involvement:

“He comes to visit the studio, and he’s shown what we’re up to. He has some ideas of a direction to take it in, basically that you’re not stealing to survive, but Netflix/Steam/etc doesn’t exist anymore so DVD boxsets, music, games, all that physical media is now super valuable.”

Originally known as Project Keaton, Hyenas received the green light after the success of Alien Isolation. The aim was to create a console game with major commercial appeal, drawing inspiration from games like Destiny, Escape from Tarkov, and PUBG.

[Source – VGC, Volound on YouTube]