Delta Force: Hawk Ops has now taken their PC alpha live, and alongside it are a few changes.
They made the announcement on Twitter:
“The #DeltaForceHawkOps PC Alpha is LIVE
- Large-scale action in Havoc Warfare
- Extraction gameplay in Hazard Operations
- Insanely detailed Gunsmith system
Need a key? Twitch Drops have you covered”
However, when they link to Delta Force: Hawk Ops ‘ Steam page, we now see that ‘they’ have changed. We initially reported that this game was being developed by TiMi Studio Group, and is being published by TenCent Games’ label Level Infinite. Now, the page lists TiMi as the publisher, and the developer as one Team Jade.
We don’t know the details on Team Jade. Of course, we assume that this is the same team that has been working on the game so far under Shadow Guo. However, this change means we can no longer assume that this is the same team that made previous TiMi Studio Group shooters Assault Fire and Call of Duty: Mobile.
It may very well be the case that Team Jade has some people who made those games, and also some new staff on hand. In any case, TenCent designating a separate studio just for Delta Force: Hawk Ops must indicate that they decided on giving the game a dedicated team.
As many influencers who got to play the game early can attest, Delta Force: Hawk Ops feels like Battlefield, but not a simple Battlefield copycat. These players have been referring to it as the Battlefield that the fans want, or even bigger praise, a better Battlefield than what DICE have made.
As Electronic Arts puts huge amounts of resources on their looming Battlefield reboot, TenCent and Team Jade can capitalize on that appetite for more Battlefield coming from its dedicated fanbase. We don’t know if Delta Force: Hawk Ops really can replace Battlefield, but we do know that this positive press is a good sign for the title in its own terms.
Both veteran developers and new untested studios alike have been seeing some success with their new live service games this year. The likes of Zenless Zone Zero, The First Descendant, XDefiant, and Valorant’s debut on consoles indicate that the field is wide open, and gamers are looking for those new thrills, even as established titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty dominate the top of engagement and revenue charts.
So no, Delta Force: Hawk Ops doesn’t have to ‘win’ by stealing away Battlefield fans. But it certainly looks like the fan pitch that it’s Battlefield not from EA is winning players over. It’s funny that that is an effective selling point at all, and it makes us all wonder how it’ll be like when it finally officially launches.
