Death of a Game: Hyenas

Go to tryfum.com/NERDSLAYER and use code NERDSLAYER to save an additional 10% off your order today.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @nerdslayerstudioss
Merch: teespring.com/stores/nerdslay...
Patreon: / nerdslayer
Amazon: www.amazon.com/?tag=nerdslayer...
Humble Bundle:www.humblebundle.com/monthly?...
Twitch: / nerdslayerrr
Twitter: / nerdslayerg
Discord: / discord
#DOAG . Death of a Game is a series dedicated to uncovering the mysteries surrounding the death of a game or company. nerdSlayer defines the term "death" in the context of the show as either... 1. Literally dead. 2. Had a mass exodus of players and never recovered (expectations etc). 3. The company ceased to exist. We follow a timeline of events, to uncover clues concerning why a game or company doesn't do well, and attempt to put it all together at the end for a deduction explaining how or why the game failed based on the evidence gathered.
Rules:
1: No discrimination or hate speech.
2: No affiliation links that do not belong to nerdSlayer.
3: No political/religious talk or debate .
4: Any points you make have to be substantiated either in explaining your opinion or when stating facts you need to back these up with reliable sources.
5: Do not argue moderation decisions in public, if you have an issue PM the mods.
6: We don't allow self promotion, giveaways or anything of similar nature from community members on this discord without nerdSlayer's permission.
7: Wherever possible if you initiate a discussion try to do so in an appropriate channel for it. For example game news could go in ⁠game-table a story on the latest EVE heist however would belong in ⁠mmo-booth or the latest GPU shortage can go in ⁠tech-wizards
8: Spoilers have to be marked at all times as a spoiler by using /spoiler or || before and after the message. Beside this outside of the spoiler you should make clear ahead of it what the spoiler is about, like the latest chapter in a video game or something.
9: Please do not @ mention any of the staff or in general abuse @ mentions. People will respond on their own accord when needed and when they desire to do so. (Exception for moderators if their presence is needed for enforcement)

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

Go to tryfum.com/NERDSLAYER and use code NERDSLAYER to save an additional 10% off your order today.

[@bjorn-falkoandreas9472]

Creative Assembly has a couple of those dead games under its helm. There also is Three Kingdoms and the recently released Pharaoh and Troy.

[@annocraft]

Don't promote smoking it's bad! Also they are bad for the environment because the batterys are rechargeable but you can't recharge them. They are build to be thrown away and waste racecourses we need.

[@RogueBulb]

You should make a Bloodhunt video you can still play it but it doesn't really recieve any major updates anymore but has a small but loyal playerbase of around 1000 people

[@danielmasterson1586]

​​@@annocraftfum, as I understand it, doesn't actually have a battery not nicotine. It's not a vape, it's more like an air diffuser

[@HotPocketEnjoyer]

You mean people don't want to play another live service game where you have an in-game store on launch and play as a drag queen?! Sounds like a dream lmao

[@shiniesglitters5424]

This wasn't death of a game, this was abortion of a game

[@stroads.]

first time I've ever been anti abortion

[@GodOfWarConnoisseur]

White bald guy to the devs: cut your hair, sinners!..be a man, go to work, sinners!

[@felipebisi4145]

First time ive been 200% pro abortion

[@ravensflockmate]

Rare time I'm pro abortion

[@rainiermcbane2313]

@@stroads. kinda fucked up thing to say

[@Yoshimitsu4prez]

They were like “wait a minute, we just made Lawbreakers again,” and gave up

[@Dgero]

I’d love to imagine that’s near why they cancelled it. like a higher up walks in after they use a bunch of building blocks and just says “damn we couldn’t cook, burn it all Steve”

[@Scroolewse]

I fucking wish someone would make Lawbreakers again. That game was so much fun for the few months it lasted.

[@DaRedGobbo]

@@Scroolewse 100%. Lawbreakers died because it came out in an over saturated market and had a horrible marketing campaign. The gameplay was great but everything around it was handled horribly.

[@nailinthefashion]

​@@Scroolewsethat and Anthem were zenith for me. Been in a stupor since. It feels like the rug didn't just get pulled but they held my chin and made me watch as they burned them and pissed on the ashes lmao

[@Scroolewse]

@@nailinthefashion Anthem certainly looked cool but I heard a lot of complaints about boring, uninspired gameplay.

[@nahuelkid]

Holy shit we did it. We got to see him cover a game that never even existed! This is the Aladdin Deck Enhancer of Death of a Game!

[@Ziko577]

I know right? This is history on this channel. Imagine talking about a game that never came out lol!? Also, it's killing the studio behind it as the Total War playerbase has had enough of them too! 😂

[@nahuelkid]

@@Ziko577 yeah saw that too. Sad shit

[@Ziko577]

@@nahuelkid I saw it coming years ago that they couldn't keep screwing their players over left and right and well, the dam just broke. Also, people are getting banned for criticizing Pharaoh too so nice times.

[@stevenkies802]

I never even heard of this game before this video!

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

This shit isn't even a death of a game, it's a still birth 😂

[@Spoutnicks]

It looked to me like the art design was made by executives searching on TikTok and Reddit for "What are kids up to these days". "How do you do, fellow kids?"

[@MaXiMoS54]

Looks to me they just wanted to hop on the Fortnite profit train

[@THawkMedia]

​@@MaXiMoS54nah, it looked more like Borderlands in terms of style and tone.

[@takanuva114]

Sega had this mysterious "Super Game" listed in their financial reports, clearly being marked as something they were staking a lot on, and seeing this game just come and go without a word is probably the most Sega way for this to go.

[@TheNameIsSR]

It didn't even "come"

[@TheSkaOreo]

Oh shit. This was supposed to be the "Super Game"?

[@takanuva114]

@@TheNameIsSR that's the funniest/saddest part honestly lol

[@notani3533]

Super sad, I guess

[@M3Y2e]

it wasn’t even bad me n my friend played it the worst part was our shit inexperience against other players characters

[@TheQuietTimes]

Can a game "die" if it never truly "lived" in the first place?

[@battlion507]

That's called a retcon...

[@Kaimax61]

well stillborns exist...

[@raptorskilltor4554]

It’s basically a game abortion

[@ProtoZealott]

Abortion of a Game?

[@mrbigglezworth42]

All games die, not every game truly lives.

[@TrueKaras]

Nothing says "rebel" and "cool" like corporate mandated sanding off all edges and soul. "Rebel with the Machine! Join the ACK!"

[@BilisiFunfun]

Rage for the Machine! Get your government mandated experimental injection!

[@Larry]

I saw the previews of this game last year and it just reminded me of Brink all over again. But there's absolutely zero character in the characters, their whole identity is what they are, not WHO they are. You could describe the personalities of every character in Team Fortress 2, but this just looked like a soulless checklist.

[@rapedslime7040]

I mean,in Brink´s defense,you were supposed to create your own character,making it somewhat harder to establish a personality beyond "slim guy,middle of the road and big Al". Here the characters felt very much like first drafts out of a scrib book,no actual refinement or additions to the initial idea and,perhaps even more importantly,asking the question "okay,who would actually like to play as these". In the first place,whacky character designs have always been a hard sell in the west and basing nearly your entire cast around making the most obnoxious you can...pretty big gamble.

[@derigel7662]

​@Kousaburo shhhhhhh thats "wrong think" dont shoe horn that in remeber lol

[@twety1994]

Well said!

[@pillullis]

My thoughts exactly.

[@lilbroskee6697]

@@rapedslime7040 I agree with you, Rapedslime

[@spcsandbag6517]

The logo of the game turned out to be more accurate than they thought.

[@larsmarona2994]

I'm surprised no one has noticed how similar it is to the lawbreakers logo as well, along with the fact that both had zero g zones as part of their gameplay

[@kjf5212]

TBH, if I saw it in the wild I would assume it was Harley Quinn related.

[@Vaniity_Velvet]

Imagine your entire personality being you like Sonic (Chris-Chan's voice plays faintly in the background) or that you're an Astronaut, or like Tech, or are a Drag-Queen. The characters themselves are just as infantile as the Art Design. It's the same nonsense as Back 4 Blood, everyone is waaaaaay too relaxed for what they're doing. Using Payday 2 as an equivalent the core clowns weren't ever relaxed. They didn't start to get that way until you hit the DLC Characters. Dallas, Wolf, Hoxton and Chains new the reality of everything they were doing. The Risks involved and respected the whole process. These clowns.... It's like they're high on fentanyl and have no idea what's happening.

[@ram_259]

Ehhhh I kinda disagree here. I think context is very important here. In Back 4 Blood and Payday, everything outside the characters is played straight and serious. For Hyenas, the entire game is goofy. Don't you think it would be weirder to have a silly world and super serious characters?

[@blobmarley1064]

@@ram_259 their whole world is a big middle finger to space capitalists stealing their nostalgia. It's in itself a political and semi-serious premise but then the art direction and such makes it goofy. Compare it to borderlands, all of them are goofy but at least they look like proper loot hunters. One or 2 characters that look goofy isn't a problem but you literally got a whole squad of quirky bullied kids that pretend to be amazing space pirate looters now.

[@nailinthefashion]

​@@blobmarley1064but that's the hook to me, let them be misfits but give them reasons to be there. A drag queen who uses her looks to charm people into walking towards her could be goofy or more dramatic. An ult where she performs and heals her team but taunts the other. An astronaut could be there for a noble cause, but they're an alcoholic and her drinks are molotovs. It really needed a misfit director to tie it all together, but the blox were there to me

[@proverbialking3452]

What's wrong with being goofy? Fortnite is one of the goofiest game ever. Yet it is the most popular game. Ever.

[@PenguinDT]

Is this the very first 'stillborn' born game you've covered? Even Amazon's facepalm did have a public beta at least. 🤔

[@cynicalnoloc5122]

If so, add Scalebound to the list

[@MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD]

Yeah, but I don't think he's gonna call it that

[@hollowsoul3832]

Wouldn’t this one be more like an abortion?

[@latbat58]

what was that amazon game called?

[@haramotozero7316]

@@latbat58 Crucible, PvP FPS MOBA if I remember correctly

[@ThatOneMan830]

I’m honestly surprised that you didn’t mention the colossal controversy it had with the Total War fanbase, let alone bring it up as a clue. I am a Total War fan myself, and HOLY SHIT, the sheer amount of hatred about Hyenas was and actually still is *massive.* CA has been producing Total War games for nearly 30 years at this point. That fanbase is their core, TW is their flagship franchise. Rumors were and still are spreading that it was sucking resources away from Total War: Warhammer 3, a game which was (and sadly still is) in dire straits due to bad monetization (SOC was too pricey), poor behavior on the part of CA (from silence to recent shittalking and ban waves), and the bad state the game is in (still quite buggy, with new fixes often introducing new and worse bugs or breaking what was already fixed). The end result is that CA’s core fanbase wasn’t just indifferent to Hyenas. TW fans hold it in extreme *contempt*, and it became a boogeyman and target to pound on and blame for the things that were and still are going wrong. Even now it’s still a popular opinion that if geriatric Sega and CA corporate suit fucks hadn’t decided to pump money into a genre that is already cornered in the market and getting stale, WHIII (and Pharoah, which is actually good and most acknowledge CA Sofia is a damn fine team, but flopped colossally) would be far better off. CA and Sega by proxy alienated CA’s longest running, enduring, core audience. The circumstances surrounding Hyenas, and the qualities listed (being in an over saturated market, no character or soul, grubby monetization, weird and cringey loot ideas), resulted in a not-insignificant group of CA followers constantly shit-talking Hyenas anywhere it came up, poisoning the well. Even MandaloreGaming posted about Hyenas on Twitter about how ugly and otherwise repulsive he found Hyenas to be on first sight. Tl;dr another part of the death of Hyenas is that people were actively shit talking and spreading rumors about it due to it being responsible (or at least being perceived to be responsible) for the terrible state of what should have been a slam dunk golden goose for Creative Assembly.

[@Revkor]

Pharoah is crap but otherwise agree

[@albertdrevdal4233]

​@@Revkorthat's kind of the point

[@Feuerhamster]

Sometimes, a game's death is sudden and tragic. Sometimes, a game goes away with dignity, surrounded by those who love it and those that it inspired. Hyenas and CA as a whole is going out like a terminal crack addict trying to fight and/or fuck an alligator.

[@patrickthehenchman2679]

You think this game would have had a better story to tell if it was true to it's title and had you playing as actual Hyenas?

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

A sequel to Tokyo Jungle sounds great!

[@nailinthefashion]

Actually yes because furries tend to be extremely artistically gifted. We coulda gotten sumn with Overwatch's artistry but more edgy 😭 there was even a drag queen like???? THAT IS SO INSPIRED

[@BasedMan88x88]

Late comment: at least the game would have been a monetary success. If there's something that the furry has, is MONEY. Those fursuits aren't cheap. Neither the amount of merch and commissions of any kind of media they purchase.

[@ChlorideCull]

One of the issues the game had was simply bringing in the lore and story that was actually written - the discord server had a ton of it, explaining everything, but it never got incorporated into the game. The characters also had a lot more depth that also didn't get incorporated.

[@jonro1091]

This’ll be interesting, a lot of ‘live service’ games have been killed off in recent years, but that happening before a proper release is still quite something.

[@MithrilRoshi]

True, this close to release. Tho games die all the time while being made.

[@Lee-km7qq]

Live service is dying off mostly thanks to stuff like game pass and PS Plus. Companies now realize oversaturation will make your game pretty much invisible.

[@JohnCaccio]

@@Lee-km7qq OMG, live service is dying for so many reasons. The live service pubs/devs in essence want you to work for their company by having you grind your life away in a second job (the game), with no pay off. Plus, they want to sell you mediocre content at full price. The companies only want to make mediocre content, because you can make it faster, cheaper and it doesn't blow the players expectations out of the water for future content. You feed gruel, they get used to it, they don't expect better. Then the devs/pubs set players mindless grind tasks/quests to do with no real reward. If the devs/pubs give you a good reward, they will take it off you in the near future, either they vault it, or nerf the hell out of it. There is no win in the 'live service model' for a full on gamer. Live service is for the casual Andy. I question if these games are even good for the super casual (beers and pizza after work while sitting on the lounge). Anyway, sorry for the rant.

[@nailinthefashion]

​@@JohnCacciothe irony is that a lot of us prefer a live service co op pve set up but it's so hard to keep the content fresh Destiny is buckling under its own weight lol I'm depressed since Anthem's death. I wish someone would attempt it again

[@BasedMan88x88]

The problem is that if your live service game doesn't break, it'll simply never compete. Marketing becomes exponentially more expensive since is rather difficult to find new players interested in the game, when they would go for established alternatives.

[@0XFVCKS]

Imagine using all that money and talent on Alien Isolation 2. Just imagine...

[@spongebobfan78]

I'm pretty sure that Sega doesn't have the Aliens license anymore, and if they did, they probably wouldn't make another Isolation anyways.

[@somedogsarecops2354]

I knew this game was doomed to fail the moment I saw the art style and character design.

[@velhomiguel]

Honestly I can't think of a single "wacky" sort of game that I ever liked since Borderlands 2. Even Borderlands 3 was a bit over the top to me.

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

​@@velhomiguel Why do you think that is? I have a theory but I want to hear your thoughts first.

[@jmaster4941]

@@velhomiguel At least BL3 had great gameplay. It's honestly way more fun than BL2.

[@EvilAnomaly]

Same, nothing about what was seen looked like a game going anywhere. Not sure what they were thinking with the direction/decisions. It's obvious that they themselves didn't even know.

[@nailinthefashion]

​​@@flintlockwood1919the drag queen is such a cool choice but then they're just a generic bad beep. Why not do more aspnic references and have her be like Rogue? Rouge? The bat girl

[@sator_project]

this video is longer than the game's full release lifespan

[@MegaCygnusX1]

I gotta say one of the issues this game had was it's name. WTF does "Hyenas" have to do with your game, say about your game, or honestly have to do with anything? Someone in Marketing was asleep at the wheel lol.

[@0816M3RC]

Hyenas are scavenging predators and the players are scavengers so it kind of fits. Could have also called it "Vultures" or "Crows" I guess.

[@FKYT]

Google what female hyenas do to male hyenas and you will find out why they went with that as the name.

[@Jester23456]

@@FKYTor maybe it’s not about hyena sex and you just have weird thoughts

[@aliceiscalling]

​@@Jester23456 The game's info sheets were scattered with sexual innuendos, so I wouldn't put it past the developers.

[@Jester23456]

@@aliceiscallingyou are actually crazy if you think the name is a reference to irl hyena genetalia

[@saltmines8396]

Most games on this channel were born to die and then there's this game. Jesus

[@henriklarssen1331]

The first Game abortion.

[@moogiibat5845]

Comparing it with Overwatch, but didn't bothered to mention the character design, Overwatch characters are popular because the characters are attractive not ugly

[@null_subject]

This game's best feature was self-destruction.

[@jovialmonster757]

Hyenas just looked like one of the most corporate, soulless, by the numbers title I have seen in a long time, surprisingly impressive given some other titles being released over the last few years. I do feel for the devs though; they should have had the chance to release, even if the game wouldn’t have been successful.

[@Revkor]

no why waste more money

[@eddoh2701]

What? You don't like the idea of DRAG QUEEN extraction shooter. Imagine my surprise

[@Mr_Mistah]

Stop feeling sorry for developers they are 100% complicit

[@DeltaDragon79]

Overwatch characters are memorable because Blizzard did the work of creating backstories and cinematics that got you to care for them. Hyena characters were written with a checklist of memes and required diversity while relying on those points solely to be "likeable" and it very much showed through the presentation.

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

Totally

[@LuxwingGo]

I wonder if, had the game not been forced to change engines, more time and energy could have been directed into making the characters actually good? They look like they had some neat ideas but never managed to make them seem like they existed cohesively or had enough depth to get your feet wet. Which is a shame since I liked some of the character designs. Oh well.

[@cam_like_ham]

As much as I love Galaxia, you're not wrong.

[@browning2471]

Overwatch characters are memorable for the porn

[@panzalinopanzultimate4796]

Oddly enough i feel like a game that does this well and makes the characters feel "believable" is Apex Legends the whole artstyle and character direction is grounded and tied into the larger titanfall universe which is just standard military sci-fi. The game genuinely does a great job of showing personality and it goes [vocally] underappreciated because the players apex usually attracts aren't exactly rating the game based off its character's character

[@MrPwner911]

I played the closed beta when that was out. It was... Tolerable. I didn't mind how the guns fired, the sonic cosplayer and medic gamer was alright, the loot was pretty neat (wasn't expecting to see Atari games and other retro tat) but after playing for a few hours I already thought "this is not gonna last long at all." I wasn't expecting Hyenas to get canned shortly after the beta and that's probably for the best.

[@jacobb5484]

I played it as well, the areal movement was cool but the guns just felt wrong and the abilities were uninspired

[@cycadaacolyte6349]

Never discount unappealing characters as a reason something fails, everything after L4D shat the bed with it's characters and has never gotten a penny from me because it.

[@noosa187]

The levels are also extremely ugly. I mean it's a kind of unique art style, but insanely ugly.

[@ThatOneMan830]

L4D? Do you mean Left 4 Dead or something else, ‘cause the characters in both Valve L4D games are great. Do you mean B4B?

[@piragintheevercorpulent1526]

​@@ThatOneMan830I'm certain this person means that L4D's characters are damn good and that the characters in every other game since are fuckin bad yo

[@smattonellus8354]

That's why vermintide is objectively a win

[@Zanryu1337]

I personally think that there is a golden rule in game development, especially when it comes to naming conventions: Don't name your game after something that already exists. Like Hyenas. When you google it, it won't be the first thing that comes up. I'd imagine that another title like "Retro Plunder" would also be more fitting. Switching the frame to a TV-Show like Radical Heights and it would be instantly more memorable. Not to mention that I never heard of the title before. So I would assume that the marketing department slept on this.

[@thisisonetap]

Are you kidding? I work in the industry and this game is a regular example of an absolutely wicked marketing campaign. The marketing had nothing to do with why this game died. Also, SEO on the game is fine.

[@Zhadow45]

@@thisisonetap Doubt thats the case because the game literally died within months of even existing. Clearly people had no idea or did not care at all. Seems like poor marketing and development to me?

[@kulman4295]

wow, the golden rule no one has ever heard of: remember games like Dune, Doom, Fear, Halo?

[@Dext3rM0rg4n]

It died because it was yet another hero shooter that nobody asked for, and none of the characters were even slightly likable. The marketing did an ok job because people knew about this game, but the fundamental idea were unsalvagable.

[@slvrcobra1337]

​@@thisisonetapThe marketing sucked, all I saw was Twitter ads with no context a couple years ago, I looked up the game and all I could find was boring CGI trailers that left me more confused than before. I never heard about the game again until now and I never saw an ounce of gameplay until this video. I think Hyenas has set a new low bar for worst marketing in gaming history IMO.

[@darthvaderbutwayshittier7054]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the absolute level of just, pure, unfiltered HATE the Total War fans had for this game.

[@MadamePianissima]

"The web would be shocked" Bruh, I dont think this Cali-slop being cancelled surprised anyone.

[@Jester23456]

I mean it actually is surprising. Big studios usually don’t cancel games a few weeks before release

[@MadamePianissima]

@@Jester23456 "Vindicated" is the word I would use to describe player reaction.

[@hot_coldman]

They wanted the diverse cast first and appealing characters in an interesting world last.

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

Constant mistake that keeps being made

[@Jester23456]

I didn’t mind the characters 🤷

[@chriscormac231]

@@nerdSlayerstudioss they keep forgetting they have to be actual characters

[@piragintheevercorpulent1526]

​​​@@michelians1148Diversity and quirky characters themselves aren't an issue no matter how much *particular* people think they're a main deal breaker. The problem is as previously mentioned how the characters are just stereotypes and nothing more and how their quirky archetypes don't meld well with the grim circumstances or premise of the game (looting the ruins of civilization at the whims of the elite just to keep existing) nor does the gameplay try to leverage that premise. Hunt Showdown has a varied and diverse cast of characters (and associated weapon skins) but their designs are all period appropriate and mesh completely fine with the game's unique Southern Gothic horror atmosphere and gameplay, which stands out even in broad strokes against all other shooters out there.

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

Relax Mr Anon online, nothing about you is tough nor confident. What a little coward acting tough online, rofl. You would cower physically in my presence.@@michelians1148

[@wilm2109]

Hunt Showdown has a varied and diverse cast of Hunters, but what works in its favor above every other online extraction shooter on the market is the general theme of the game itself, Southern Gothic-Horror in 19th century Louisiana. It's such a wildly imaginative break from the norm that I really wish more studios, big and small, would take those kind of risks since its a gamble that can pay off big time. It worked wonders for DICE when they went all in with a WW1 Battlefield, a era which had been ignored entirely by AAA as being too niche & unmarketable. The think tanks and higher-ups in the industry need to stop offering players carbon copies of other popular games and make something actually unique, even if just visually, if they want to carve a slice in the competitive online gaming scene.

[@tropictiger2387]

This is an excellent point. Many good games have an atmosphere and sense of place about them. In some cases you can feel the vibe of a game from just screenshots. Games like Stalker and Bloodbourne are also good examples. I don't know what to call it, or if it has a name or not, but the art style (direction?) of this game comes off as very sterile and formulaic. Games like Hyenas, Borderlands, Rage 2 and Law breakers all have this same kind of style. Unhealthy looking characters with the Skrillex hair cut or mowhawks and everything is neon purple. Its like knockoff cyberpunk but without any of the personality.

[@piragintheevercorpulent1526]

​@@tropictiger2387I like to use Yahztee's "Magenta Game" definition where everything's super colorful and edgy and quirky. The issue is that so it's been so overdone to lose any more bite so it's as transgressive as anything else at this point.

[@BigBenTheDude]

I played the earliest beta of the game like a year ago and all I thought was “I’m looking forward to the death of a game video that’s gonna be about this”

[@trastewere]

It is beyond stupid that Sega let Creative Assembly develop Hyenas for so long and pour so much money into it. Successful game as a service is diamond in the rough, many have tired, most have failed. At least I think we are in final stages of games as a service model, Sony also went all in into it and what is output? CEO 'leaved', many layoffs all around almost every studio that was pusher to develop game as a service because it was 'hot' thing when Fortnite, Apex, Destiny managed to earn insane amount of money.

[@Ziko577]

Sony may very well go under in a couple of years with this tomfoolery going on as they recently fired a woman who worked there for 34 years and there's this huge push into GaaS which is beginning to lose steam now and the fanboys over on that side may as well get out now while they can. It's gonna get ugly soon.

[@xavier8951]

@@Ziko577 What's so special about a longtime female employee who got fire?

[@phoenix211245]

​@@Ziko577Not likely imho. Playstation is doing quite well, and gaming is just a division of Sony, the parent company has very deep pockets. The losses they took are not that large in comparison.

[@Ziko577]

@@xavier8951 She was there in the formative years of the division and she more or less retired because she felt like it was time.

[@Silver_Wolf-141]

no way the quirky free to play live service shooter that was barely advertised got canned??? i feel like projects like this no matter how good are doomed to fail

[@OleNesie]

I don't even think Hyenas looked bad, but the simple stigma of 'total war warhammer 3 died for this', even if it wasn't entirely true, was just too much for ca fans

[@Revkor]

no its true. CA is cutting alot of staff. management trend hunted rather then do what fans have been begging for

[@sup1602]

I never liked how corporate all the character feels.

[@tomalexander4327]

Maybe they can sell it to production companies as one of those games on in the background of TV/Films.

[@nakano15]

Maybe will show up in a future Suicide Squad movie.

[@jjforcebreaker]

What a depraved, wicked industry this is. And as always- barely any people responsible for terrible decisions will actually pay the price, in any form.

[@Lee-km7qq]

I still believe this game would've been perfect as a single player, story driven game. Could've easily been a Suicide Squad type of group trying to go on some kind of heist. Would've been far more unique than being another live service cash in

[@ryskar_]

As much as I hate what Overwatch became, the characters felt way more believable and likable, despite there being so many more. It genuinely felt like there was a character for everyone, and they didn’t cone off as shallow, vapid stereotypes. Even Reaper’s over-the-top edginess was kind of endearing, and the fact that other characters made fun if him for it was great.

[@neliaironwood7573]

I love to see you do a Death of a Game on MAG, a live service PvP shooter game from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 era.

[@Calvin_Coolage]

Same here. It was a really cool game and I'd love to understand why it shut down.

[@Ronbotnik]

@@Calvin_Coolage as someone that tried it back on PS3, i just remember it not feeling great. the idea was neat but at the end of the day CoD just felt better to play, and CoD was really really hot at the time

[@rapedslime7040]

Far as I remember the technology not being there was the biggest culprit. I mean...damn that lag.

[@jacobtaylor7506]

If I remember it was a 3 or 4 way fight with a total of 256 players right?

[@kemasalauddin1604]

How the fuck a looter shooter have a specific character to play

[@blushingralseiuwu2222]

Wait.... Those characters they presented was actual character??? I thought its supposed to be player made since they looks so damm soulless lmao

[@tintillor]

I remember seeing the trailer and thinking: "That looks kind of fun, but the characters are so freaking unnapealing."

[@stjimmerz]

This show feels more like the eulogy of GAAS games every video.

[@risa1467]

Not going to lie, I smiled when I robbed the vault and Karma Chameleon started playing. After that, I picked Galaxia and the game crashed.

[@polytanksan5761]

Galaxia too strong

[@charlie9723]

i've never heard about this game outside of 4chan

[@yannickvanhoutte4403]

I'll add to it though: "Hyenas" is a piss-poor game title. Who the fuck even came up with that? Imagine your bro calling you on Discord and going "yo, you wanna play Hyenas together?", I'd think he was talking about some sort of children's playground roleplay that inevitably turns you into a furry later in life.

[@michel0dy]

I didn't know this game existed until I saw this video in my timeline. But also, youtube tagged this as overwatch, so I guess they don't know Hyenas either

[@berzerk3028]

got invited to play the alpha...knew it would fail

[@noboty4168]

I was one of the people that tried it, but wasn't really feeling it. first, I don't like extractions shooters, I now realize. However, second, the whole style seemed too "zoomer" for me, if that makes sense. Still, I didn't expect it to be stillborn. We went from games dying in decades, to a few years, to a single year, and now in the womb.

[@davewhispers7720]

Hyenas ended up looking and feeling like the latest saints row installment and we all know how everyone liked that game choice of characters and style.

[@Marinealver]

Probably the first game I'm happy to see in DoaG series, if it weren't for Overwatch 2.

[@Ratich]

You forgot about the Community's outrage especially after what happened with Warhammer 3

[@paegr]

I feel like the reason for the random surge of Extraction Shooters is because all these publishers see Tarkov as an equivalent to PUBG, so they all want to be the one who makes the equivalent Fortnite

[@Doc-Glock]

There is a fascination to be had with watching something like Hyenas have time and resources spent on it, with a budget estimated around $100 Million, how much it doesn't hit with people with any trailer or gameplay footage being shown, and seeing that it doesn't even take off, much less land.

[@thepeanutter9972]

This has got to be one of the most corporate games I've ever seen. It's clear they were told to make a live service shooter before having any real ideas for a game.

[@eintorpid9101]

I could see how the game's setting could be salvaged pretty well. Drop the comicbook gothpunk shit and go for a more gritty, cybernetic doomed-future aesthetic where "The Rich" have abandoned the Earth for Mars. Earth being turned into a trash filled wasteland with struggling life and various factions and clans competing for resources. The clans have grown so powerful that they are able to invest in barely functioning space travel to assault The Rich's space stations and strongholds over and on mars. Their goal? Get in, get technology and schematics to help save the earth, and also increase their home faction's power over the others. Whiel also maybe sending a nuke or two towards the Elites' population centers as revenge. They aren't drag queens or ballerinas, they are the best soldiers and killers the various clans could afford or employ. Cybernetic warriors, Psychics, salvaged Androids and miniature Mechs toting portable artillery guns to blow open passageways deeper into the Elites' labyrinths. They are hired to rob and kill, and most importantly snuff out the competition if they try to intervene. "The fuckers on Mars abandoned and left us to die. It's everyone for themselves."

[@Runeinc]

This game proves to me that quirky for quirkys sake now just doesn't do it for people.

[@Shadmockk]

Glad to see this great intro again. I missed it so much. I know it's been back but it's so clean and the aesthetic is strong

[@cam_like_ham]

As one of the closed beta players, the lack of direction and internal debate SHOWED. I actually liked the characters and moment-to-moment gameplay, but it really felt like they were tacking a lot of things together without figuring out how to make it all work cohesively. I also still don't understand why they called themselves Hyenas in the first place.

[@madlock8074]

What makes me mad about this is that CA actually makes really good games but get railroaded into greedy practices. CA needs new management and to focus on what they ACTUALLY do best.

[@risel56]

Getting two nerdSlayer videos in the span of a week feels like an early Christmas.

[@FerintoshFarmsPhotography]

Fun fact. A bar near me used to be called Geo's sports lounge. Now they're called. The Tainted. So i just call it the taint.

[@SkarmoryThePG]

man I remember seeing a gun showscase, then all the character trailers, getting interested, finding out it's an extraction shooter and losing all interest

[@LotarWc2]

Hyenas filed on the "presentation" stage with closed beta and failed to gather an audience interested in it. It's not like the game didn't have a chance to fail, it's more like SEGA decided to reed the room and cancel it before loosing money on maintenance.

[@tomburress4928]

First thing I thought upon beta was “wonder how long before the DOAG comes out” lol. This was such a baffling game chasing a trend from 6-7 years ago done by a studio that has never done something like it. Honestly feel sad about the developers who will be let go due to downsizing and for the future of CA.

[@paperluigi6132]

Now I’m waiting for Matt McMuscles’s “What Happened?” on this game

[@900yearslater]

Imagine if this had launched as a competitor to the Finals. We might've seen an innovation on an old genre carve out its corner of the market.

[@tynrova9639]

SEGA saw the new saints row and thought they were setting a trend to follow.

[@Skrain]

I don't know a single person who wanted this game, or was even slightly interested in it. The only context me and my friends would speak about Hyenas was in how it's failure was almost certainly why CA increased their overall prices for DLC.

[@pexist88]

I'm just thankful that I played the game before its demise. Honestly, I was looking forward to it.

[@kungfuuuv]

Everyone saw this coming. Except Rob Bartholomew and his lot.

[@gqueirogabr]

Never even heard of this game failing anywhere...nice post mortem 😢

[@SylverstoneKhandr]

I almost feel honored in a way to have been in the closed alpha for this game. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but I liked the aesthetic in a sort of ironic, hilarious way, the use of actual SEGA IP in the cosmetic look of the game was interesting enough, and maybe I could want to understand it a bit more than its surface-level presentation... but it all felt so insincere and very much paint-by-the-numbers. But considering how it was going into an oversaturated genre with not much of a hook and coasting mostly on SEGA and Creative Assembly's pedigree (read into that what you will), I mostly expected it to at least get out of the gate, have a nice launch bump, then fall below expectations, have a small tight-knit community hanging on to it closely, then see it get shitcanned and end up in a video like this. Oh well.

[@tonydanieluk1847]

I have a weird thing with your videos. I don't like MMOs and haven't played most of the games you've covered, yet I try not to miss any of them because, although simple, the premise and presentation you make is very unique, and I can't really find something quite like this anywhere else.

[@friendlyspacedragon7250]

The logo for this game was clearly made in anticipation to make it on this series.

[@vinegar3617]

I'm not surprised. This game has no visual identity at all

[@PyroTech03]

Been waiting for this to come out and try it but hadn't heard a thing on it. Just went dark. Then you have "The Finals" which plays almost exactly the same as Hyenas did. Sad to see it happen. But Creative Assembly is mid dumpster fire right now so was probably gonna happen anyway.

[@APsychicMonkey]

Between this and the Shadows of Greed DLC and Pharaoh totally flopping, CA is taking L after L. I wonder if SEGA will dissolve them, it'd be a shame, but also perhaps a mercy killing.

[@ajax3310]

nerdSlayer: time for another quick myst- SEGA: IM THE KILLER *kobains self* nerdSlayer: ooh that one was really quick wasn't it

[@CapnJigglypuff]

I can totally get behind a looter shooter where the loot is old arcade and console memorabilia, but the context for why should've been given a few more passes.

[@trevor.mccauley]

I vaguely remember hearing about this game. Shame it will never get released., I personally really dig that art style!

[@elisehalflight]

Funny enough i hate the artstyle but the gameplay looks absolutely amazing to me, a shame how this game never really got a chance to shine

[@aeidengtfo6758]

No sign of poor leadership... are we looking at the same game I think the fact the game made it far as it did but nobody was like hey this looks awful is a big failure from leaders.

[@quadpictures]

I wonder why nobody was interested in this game 1:11 Oh...never mind...

[@cfehunter]

He showed footage of three engines when talking about the "inhouse engine" here btw. Halo Wars 2 - Phoenix Engine. Derrivative of the Bang! engine that powered Halo Wars 1. C.A.G.E (CA Game Engine) - Powered Alien Isolation and Viking: Battle for Asguard Empire/Warscape/Total War - The total war engine

[@cyropower7808]

I had the privilege of alpha testing this game. The guns were so lackluster, and it felt like I was shooting people with plastic bullets.

[@johnshouse5360]

I played this game. i liked this game. it was crushing to log into discord only to see the anouncement saying it would be shuting down. it sucked. just glad some people out side that small community gets to learn about this game.

[@foxyfoxington2651]

I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I played or got excited for a game from Sega that wasn't made by RGG Studio.

[@GerardMenvussa]

This vid gave me a random memory of another hero shooter I was vaguely curious about but haven't heard from in a long time: Bulletville. I just took a very quick look and the official site's last update is from March and the YT channel isn't any better. Ooops... I just spoiled your next episode 😂

[@madmouse4465]

It’s almost hilarious that these things keep happening to zero-G games. It’s like a curse.

[@Scabinus]

As a longtime viewer even before I came here on KZbin, it means so much to see my video featured on your channel. Thank you very much!

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

You are so welcome!

[@EvMund]

I cant believe someone actually tried to make Lawbreakers 2

[@infernaldeacon8626]

It was an unappealing cringe lookint shooter for a market that doesnt exist by a company who keep getting shit on for predatory dlc practices

[@Mishakur]

Why I never even tried the beta of Hyenas: The characters are unversally ugly and the graphics looked so outdated

[@MaximumCarter]

I didn't realize this was the same team that did Alien Isolation. That game was/is amazing! I see Xdefiant experiencing a similar fate.

[@xxEpicxGunnerxx]

Almost became lawbreakers and then it died before it could crawl

[@CoRxx97]

To be fair, Overwatch was itself rife with stereotypes. Americans get soldiers and cowboys, Mexico gets a day of the dead gangster, China gets a nerd, Japan gets ninjas, Korea gets a gamer, etc etc etc. The characters here don’t strike me as any more derivative than Overwatch’s cast. Also, I’m curious about the better gameplay comment about EfT and Hunt Showdown compared to Hyenas. They seem like complete opposites.

[@myheadbered]

I played in several Hyenas closed betas, and I always filled out the surveys they sent out, I remember in the last one they had several questions in a row about cost of the title, how much specifically I would be willing to pay for the title, stuff like that. Don't want to say too much, dont remember how much was NDA, but I remember writing in this feels like a free to play game and there are honestly other free to play games I would play over this game, and I felt it was a poor decision to put a barrier of pay for this title. Maybe I had an effect on this game closing, feelsweirdman.

[@rupertBluza]

I speak only for myself, but my main problem with this game characters is that they're just not cool. Worse so, they're trying to be cool and fail, which is the most uncool and lame thing imaginable.