Steam Game Returns Years After Being Removed

A once-popular Steam game is back, but in a new form and with some major changes. Each generation many of the most popular games are multiplayer games. The problem with multiplayer games is when people lose interest, the cost of maintaining servers outweighs the money coming in. When this happens, the servers are promptly shut down, and in cases where the game requires an online connection and/or is strictly multiplayer, it becomes unplayable. And because of this, it ends up being removed from sale. This is the fate of many multiplayer games, including 2012's free-to-play first-person mech shooter Hawken That said, Hawken is coming back tomorrow as Hawken Reborn.

The news comes the way of 505 Games, the developer and publisher of the original game and the developer and publisher of this comeback. The game is set to debut in early access form via Steam Early Access and PC on May 17. When it will fully release, there's no word. There is also no word of it coming to console. What there is word of is that like its predecessor it will be free-to-play. 

"Welcome to the world of Illal, a planet once thought to be humanity's future utopia, turned into a grim dystopia driven by corporate corruption and greed," reads an official blurb about the game. "Illicit terraforming poisoned the atmosphere and a terrible accident gave birth to the 'Giga,' a nanite plague that ravaged half the planet. Become a mercenary pilot, pitting your mech against the dangers of Illal, gaining fame, fortune, and resources to reach the truth behind its bodyguard of lies."

Right now there's no word of what type of Steam Deck compatibility there will be when the game releases tomorrow in early access. It will presumably be playable on the handheld machines but it remains to be seen whether work has gone into making sure it's verified in time for release. 

As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. Are you interested in checking out Hawken out on PC five years after the game's servers went dark in 2018 or have you moved on from the free-to-play mech shooter in favor of other, newer multiplayer experiences?

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