While Vanguard has been Remedy's best-kept secret of late, the studio has revealed some hefty changes underway behind these scenes.
Originally, Vanguard was the codename for an upcoming free-to-play cooperative game being developed for PC and console using the Unreal Engine. Following the revisions, the project, now codenamed "Kestrel", will be a premium title, with a strong cooperative multiplayer element. The change comes with Tencent approval's, who announced two years ago that they would be partially funding development and supporting areas of publishing.
The change in direction was attributed to movement within the industry, creating "uncertainties in creating a successful game to the rapidly changing free-to-play market and associated risks", according to the press release. With Vanguard drawing to the end of its proof-of-concept phrase, the decision was made to return to the concept phrase as Kestrel.
While some of Vanguard's development team remains with Kestrel on its new format, others will move to other Remedy projects. Work that has already gone into the previous version won't be entirely scrapped, with the press release stating that "the new experience will lean more into Remedy’s core strengths and be built on many of the features, assets and themes already designed for Vanguard."
You can read the full press release, HERE.
