Crytek has announced the release date for Hunt: Showdown’s new-gen update, which will also conclude support for the current console versions. This update was first announced last September and will essentially force last-gen players to migrate to current consoles to continue playing the popular shooter.
In a developer update, general manager David Fifield announced that the CryEngine 5.11 Update will go live on August 15. This update is treated as a “significant relaunch” that brings native PS5/Xbox Series X/S support along with a host of technical improvements. However, it also means the PS4 and Xbox One versions will become unplayable.
That means these players must upgrade to current hardware to continue playing their copies of the game. Crytek assures these players that if they decide to upgrade, player accounts, entitlements, and all owned DLC will transfer to the new-gen version for no extra cost.
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In addition to technical improvements, the 5.11 Update also introduces a new map and biome. In the months leading to 5.11’s launch, Crytek plans to address community and survey feedback. That includes improved reporting systems to address cheating and toxic player behavior, design reworks tackling hunter revival, health chunks, restorations, burning down hunters, and reducing stalemates. The game is also getting a new user interface, and Crytek will continue evolving the game’s recruitment and prestige progression requirements.
Hunt: Showdown first launched for Xbox and PC in 2019, with the PS4 version arriving in 2020. The PvPvE first-person shooter is set in 1865 Louisiana as players, either alone or with two or three friends, hunt supernatural bounties in the bayou while fending off other player-controlled bounty hunters.
For more on Crytek, you can read about the studio’s next big project, Crysis 4.