There’s no shortage of free-to-play games available in the marketplace, and while some thrive, others tend to have a tough time breaking through with consumers’ interests. However, that wasn’t going to stop Remedy Entertainment as they sought to make a new free-to-play multiplayer game, a first for the company, which was unveiled in December of 2021. The idea came with the help of a partnership through Tencent. But that idea is being scrapped and reformed into a new premium experience.
Unfortunately, we don’t have very much insight into the game. The initial announcement was just that we’re getting a free-to-play multiplayer experience that still attaches the narrative-driven components that Remedy Entertainment is known for. It looked like Remedy Entertainment was more in control of the project. Since its reveal, we knew that Remedy Entertainment was developing and publishing the game in most markets worldwide. However, Tencent would deal with the localization costs to bring the Vanguard project to select Asian markets.
But as the developers started to get towards the end of the proof of concept phase, they decided to scrap the free-to-play component. Announced through a recent press release from Remedy Entertainment, the decision came mainly from the uncertainties in creating a successful game with the rapidly changing free-to-play market. As a result, the project is returning to the proof of concept phase. Only a small group of developers are working on the project now, which is being dubbed Kestrel going forward. The other developers previously attached to the project have been moved towards other projects under Remedy Entertainment.
Most of the ideas that were thought up for Vanguard are being brought in for Kestrel. However, this will now be a premium experience while retaining a strong cooperative multiplayer experience. Since this is entering back into the proof of concept phase, it will likely not be a game we’ll see show up anytime soon. However, at the very least, it does look like most of the assets and features that were thought up will be present. So, this could be a far shorter phase in development.
Currently, the development team at Remedy Entertainment has just released a successful title into the marketplace this past month with Alan Wake II. But we know that there are a few projects in the works to keep the momentum going strong for the studio, such as this Kestrel project and Control 2.
