Dev Diary #3: 2024 Roadmap

Hey, Renegades! I’m Andy Duthie, Executive Producer for HAWKED, and today I want to tell you about everything we’re planning for HAWKED in 2024. So many of you banded together to join the Renegade racket in Early Access, and we want to reward your faith by reaffirming our ongoing commitment to making HAWKED bigger, better, and worth your time across every single Issue.

Rest assured, our plans for 2024 are fuller than GRAIL’s treasure reserves. We can’t delve into everything in full detail just yet, but we hope the 2024 Roadmap whets your whistle. Read on for more information about each Issue and quarter, plus a special surprise towards the end of the Dev Diary.

As our plans change, dates and content featured in the roadmap are subject to change, too. We’ll update you as soon as we have something new to share and if anything changes.

Q1 2024 — ISSUE #1: RENEGADES

HAWKED is on track for its full global launch in Q1 2024 on Windows PC (Steam and MY.GAMES Launcher), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S*, and Nvidia GeForce Now. The game will arrive with a Day One Update, preceded by other patches and hotfixes in the run-up to launch. Issue #1: Renegades continues with new storylines and quests, giving players on all platforms the opportunity to properly discover X-Isle and claim rewards from the Renegade Pass.

Ahead of the launch, you can also look forward to a special event to celebrate the Lunar Festival in early February. As Issue #1 progresses, we’ll also continue to finetune HAWKED based on your feedback. One of our developers’ major projects is a complete UI rework, as well as updates to movement and a host of quality-of-life improvements.

*HAWKED will not be available on Xbox One at launch. We need more time to ensure a solid experience that's on a level with players on other platforms. As soon as we’re confident we can deliver this, we’ll announce a new date. To all Renegades on Xbox: thanks for your patience!

Q2 2024 — ISSUE #2

Who or what is VEKTR? Check out the video below for a clue, but for now, we can promise you new weapons to fight with, altered places to visit across X-Isle, and new foes to encounter. 

Issue #2 will also see the introduction of Ranked PvP, a popular request from Renegades looking for a more competitive meta and gameplay. This follows from Contracts, a recent feature introduced in Issue #1. For the collectors, we’re also adding a Codex to track encounters and collectible items.

We’re also targeting even more platforms for Issue #2. Steam Deck compatibility will allow you to take X-Isle on the go, while a release on Epic Games Store and Windows Store will give PC players even more freedom of platform choice.

Q3 2024 — ISSUE #3

X-Isle goes into the Fringe in Issue #3. What does that mean? Pay close attention to Bjorn’s ramblings, and you might learn a thing or two… We’re preparing new storylines, locations, enemies, weapons, and an otherworldly NPC for this weird and wonderful update.

A couple of new features are also on the way: Crafting and the Black Market. Crafting speaks for itself, and we’ll have more details to share as we approach this update. On the other hand, the Black Market will offer a new way to buy highly sought-after items using soft currency (such as Hawks and Wonderium).

Q4 2024 — ISSUE #4

HAWKED will have definitive story arcs known as Books, which will typically collect a few Issues together before we launch a new one. In the case of our first phase, Book One, Issue #4 will be its final chapter ahead of Book Two Issue #1. And it’s set to go out with a major bang! 

Look forward to major storylines, a glimpse at a new world map, the opportunity to wield Fringe Tech, a big limited-time event, and lots more to reveal in the future.

STEAM REVIEWS

The HAWKED team has been working hard since November 2023 to read and address all your Early Access feedback. Through weekly updates and regular hotfixes, we’ve been developing and deploying new content in real-time to address it head-on. Everything from exciting new features to bug fixes, balancing updates, limited-time events, and general improvements is created to ensure a smooth launch. Beyond that, it’s so important to us that HAWKED feels like a game you want to keep coming back to.

We hope that after recent patches, you’ve started to experience more streamlined, satisfying gameplay in Early Access. It’s important for us to know if we’re getting it right, so if you have the time, please consider dropping a review on Steam to let us know you’re enjoying HAWKED. 

If you think we still have work to do, jump on Discord to share your feedback and ideas with us.

EXCLUSIVE GIFT FOR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS

Your playtime, feedback, and belief in our game drive us to make it an all-round awesome experience—and we’re so thrilled to have you along for the ride as we hurtle into 2024.

To thank you for putting the Riftwake through its paces ahead of the full launch, we want to reward all Early Access players with the Dryad Color Scheme. Previously revealed as a Renegade Rally reward, this newsletter-exclusive Color Scheme is inspired by the tree spirits that inhabited the sacred groves of the gods in Greek mythology. 

The Dryad Color Scheme will only be available to subscribers, and we want to make sure all Renegades get a chance to get it. Sign up for the official HAWKED newsletter by January 31, 2024 at 12:00 CET to receive your gift.

See you on the Riftwake, Renegades!