More details have emerged about a new video game seemingly set in the Lake District.
Earlier this week, we reported on Hawthorn, a new co-op game which tasks players, who play as animals, to build a village on the banks of Lake Windermere.
Developers NEARstudios, for whom Hawthorn is a debut game, have now released more details about the game, which will release on Steam for PC players.
NEARstudios are a new indie game development studio founded by former Bethesda Game Studios, BioWare and Naughty Dog developers,
On October 8, they officially announced their formation and their debut game, Hawthorn—a nostalgic co-op sandbox RPG village sim that has been described by early play testers as “an intimate Skyrim sandbox meets a Stardew Valley village simulation.”
Led by Heather Cerlan, CEO and Creative Director, alongside co-founder Jason Richardson as Game Director, NEARstudios is comprised of industry veterans, including Bruce Nesmith, the Lead Designer of Skyrim, who has taken time out of retirement, where he’s been focused on writing his LitRPG series Glory Seeker, to lend his extensive sandbox systems expertise to the project. The team also features developers with experience on AAA titles like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Last of Us, Ultima Online, League of Legends, and Fallout, among others.
Hawthorn is inspired by Victorian-era European fairytales and the spirit of 80s and 90s adventure stories featuring anthropomorphic animals, Hawthorn offers a rich fantasy world where woodland creatures and fairy beings coexist in a complex, layered sandbox. Players will have the opportunity to build a village, forge relationships with endearing NPCs, and explore a world that is both familiar and refreshingly new.
Despite their AAA pedigree, the NEARstudios team operates as a small, indie outfit, currently bootstrapping Hawthorn. “We’re relishing the freedom to explore new creative possibilities and build a genuine relationship with our players,” said Cerlan.
"This is our passion project, and we are putting everything we have into it. We have a strong vision, and we can’t wait to develop it alongside our community."
NEARstudios is committed to crafting games that foster connection and collaboration. With Hawthorn, they aim to create a world where players of all interests can work together toward common goals.
NEARstudios invites players to join them on the journey to create Hawthorn. The studio is committed to involving players and creators early in the development process, offering unique insight into the challenges and triumphs of bringing an ambitious game to life.
"In Hawthorn, everything—from crafting to adventuring—is centred around a living village of NPCs and your co-op friends,” said Richardson. “We want to evoke the nostalgic joy and wonder of shared adventures, much like the timeless stories and simple pleasures that connect us across generations." The team is excited about bringing players along for the entire journey.
As the gaming industry faces challenges like funding shortages, layoffs, and studio closures, NEARstudios is proud of their passionate team and their mission to innovate alongside a tight-knit community. They believe that the future of gaming lies in the hands of smaller, dedicated studios willing to break new ground.
You can Wishlist Hawthorn now on Steam.
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