Update 11/07/2022 22:04 GMT: An earlier version of this article stated the alpha would be coming to the US, UK, and Europe later this week. This is incorrect. According to the developer, ”the alpha will initially be open for PC players in US only and will be expanding to the UK and Europe along with more regions and platforms in future phases."
Sega has been hyping its upcoming FPS for a while, even before it had a name and had been officially revealed to the world. Even after that reveal, what we still didn't know is when exactly people will get the chance to play it themselves. Creative Assembly has now revealed when that will be, with a playable alpha test starting later this week. Thursday, July 14 to be exact.
Anyone can sign up to be a part of the alpha and take Hyenas for its first testrun. All you need to do is head to the game's official website and fill in your details. The only caveats right now are that this first test will be a PC exclusive and will only be available to players in the US, but the UK and Europe are soon to follow. Creative Assembley has assured those in other regions playing on different platforms that future Hyenas tests will be coming to them, too.
For those of you unfamiliar with Hyenas, the ambitious multiplayer FPS was officially unveiled late last month. Ambitious because this is presumably the “super FPS game” Sega has been referring to for quite some time. If so, Hyenas is expected to make $900 million from it over the course of its lifetime, however long that might be. That's a lot of pressure on a brand new IP that isn't slated to launch until 2023.
While Hyenas will be wading into what is already a pretty saturated arena, it does have a strong team behind it. The same creative minds that worked on Halo Wars 2 and Alien: Islolation. As for the premise, players will work in teams of three, against four other trios per match, to lay claim to as much Merch as possible. Merch is “pop culture loot protected by security systems and hired goons on giant spaceship shopping malls called Plunderships,” according to Creative Assembley's description.
The studio means that pop culture element literally. In the reveal trailer above, you'll see a Sonic keyring briefly float into your eyeline.That likely means other Sega IP will be up for grabs. Hyenas' playtest begins this Thursday, with a full launch currently slated for 2023.