My.Games' new extraction shooter Hawked launched on February 15th, offering gamers a comic book-inspired, gunplay-rich take on treasure hunting. Hawked offers arcadey action that is reminiscent of Fortnite's battle royale, with some light puzzle-solving and traversal elements similar to Tomb Raider and Uncharted.

Game ZXC recently spoke with Andrew Duthie, My.Games' Executive Producer of Hawked, about the game's launch, features, and future road map. The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Starting Out In Hawked

Hawked Portal

Q: Now that HAWKED has launched, what is My.Games first priority for supporting the title?

Duthie: As HAWKED is a live comic book adventure, we will continue to grow and evolve the game in every way possible as we move forward. In addition to our regular live service updates, we will be launching quarterly season updates, which we affectionately refer to as "Issues" in homage to the comic book genre. These updates will introduce new gameplay features, stories, characters, colors, music, map changes, and much more. Our aim is for the game to maintain its familiarity while continuously evolving into an experience that feels fresh every time you log in.

Q: Do you have any favorite loadouts of Artifacts, Exo, and Ward equipment that you would recommend for players who are new to HAWKED?

Duthie: When it comes to new players joining HAWKED, I believe in two key things: surviving and finding trinkets! Regarding artifacts, we offer a specific selection of "Survival" ones that enhance the defensive capabilities of the player.

My first favorite artifact is Purewater Elixir. Filled with the healing waters of the Island, this artifact allows Renegades to quickly recover to full health between engagements. The second is Elder’s Mask. Leaders of the Island’s lost civilization wore this artifact as a sign of their authority, and for the Renegades, this protective mask slips into place while aiming, giving you extra shielding. And lastly, the Collector Coil. This iconic serpent-like artifact keeps your trinkets and Renegades safe by increasing your maximum shield for every trinket you carry.

For my Exo gear, I always go with the Recon Raptor. This trained hawk allows you to highlight nearby enemies, but for me, the real prize is that it can quickly find buried stashes to let you recover lost trinkets.

For my Ward gear, it’s back to survivability with the Familiar’s Boon. Although Familiars are still a mystery on the Island, this little octopus in a jar will restore your shield in battle and look super cute while doing it.

Q: What sorts of limited-time game modes, missions, and special events will be coming to HAWKED in the near future?

Duthie: We are introducing the first limited time game mode in early summer, and the developers are hard at work crafting a twist on the current formula that will really focus on being the best treasure hunter in the game. Our Issue #1 story will continue as the Renegades learn more about the mysterious Glyphstone. Alongside that, we have an array of upcoming events around St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Love Day on May 1st.

Q: One of HAWKED’s distinguishing features is the puzzles players must solve to unlock Glyphs. Will My.Games be adding new puzzle mechanics throughout the game’s lifespan?

Duthie: Yes, as part of each new Issue, we will continue to add new puzzles to test the players' grit and determination to unlock the glyphs. We have also recently added dynamic difficulty, so new players shouldn’t feel overwhelmed at the thought of facing a brand-new task.

Fine-Tuning Traversal, Challenges, and the Arsenal

Hawked Jump Traversal

Q: HAWKED’s Hoverboard and Traverser items are two of the title’s most innovative features. Are there any plans for expanding the game’s adventurous movement options?

Duthie: Absolutely! Gearing up for an expedition to X-Isle is an important step for all Renegades and we want to give them as many options as possible. In fact, we just added a new Snap-Track Ward gear that allows you to take a quick selfie to mark an anchor point and then teleport yourself back there at will.

Q: Roughly how large is X-Isle? How does it compare to the maps of other multiplayer elimination and extraction shooters?

Duthie: X-isle is 2 square kilometers, so it sits around the same size as Apex Legends.

Q: What was the most valuable feedback My.Games received from players during HAWKED’s early access period?

Duthie: It was actually an out-of-game survey that we did with over 100 questions and our amazing players sat and filled it in over 4000 times, giving us incredible insights into how they saw the game and where we should take the development. This data and all the feedback shared with our team is actively assessed, categorized, and helps us shape the future of HAWKED. As an example of how player feedback has influenced our decisions, let's take a look at the adjustment we made to the FPS of the game.

Initially, upon release, we aimed for 60 FPS on new PCs and PS5/Xbox Series consoles, and 30 FPS on PS4 and Xbox One. However, shortly after release, we quickly realized that our players had higher expectations. Consequently, we have now shifted our target to 120+ FPS on new PCs and consoles, while aiming for 60 FPS on last-generation consoles. This adjustment was a direct result of us listening to the players, conducting additional research into their expectations, and then enhancing the game accordingly.

Q: HAWKED can be played solo or in squads of 2 or 3. How do you fine tune a solo experience to be as compelling as a multiplayer free-for-all? Are there any plans to add multiplayer PVE challenges?

Duthie: There are quite a few differences between our modes including 1) the number of other Renegades you face in a session, 2) how spread out the puzzles and spawn points are, and 3) the difficulty of dynamic events like the caravan.

These adjustments enable us to maintain the same formula while providing an engaging solo experience. In fact, it's the mode I play the most, because I find it to be a more relaxed experience compared to Squads. Looking ahead, we have numerous ideas on how to evolve HAWKED, and a PVE mode is certainly something we would like to consider in due course.

Q: What do you think is the most important aspect of a satisfying arsenal in a shooter? How did you go about adjusting firearm balance for multiplayer?

Duthie: One of the initial steps we took in developing HAWKED was to analyze all the top shooters in the market and thoroughly understand their mechanics. We looked at every possible aspect including player movement, gun weight, drop-off, recoil, audio, auto-assist and every other little bit that goes into making these games feel great. We took all that data and then worked our gunplay to be on level par with them.

However, we believe that the most crucial aspect lies in the predictability and consistency of the weapons. Our players are exceptionally perceptive when it comes to detecting any discrepancies or bugs with our weapons. Even the slightest deviation from their expected performance, such as a shotgun being slightly off in its rhythm, doesn't go unnoticed.

To keep the game fresh and interesting, we have a very active weapon, artifact, and gear balancing team that looks at what the data tells us about the weapons, like which is most used and what is the time to kill with them, as well as what the players are telling us through surveys, social media, Steam forums and Discord.

Hawked's Road Ahead

Q: HAWKED promises players an epic, evolving adventure. Can you give us any teasers on how the game’s core narrative with Grail will develop?

Duthie: We have already given a very little tease of a new party coming to challenge the Grail crew here [video below]. As we move closer to that event, the crew is definitely going to be facing off against their worst fears.

Q: When designing HAWKED’s environments and enemies, did you start with thematic concepts (specific environment types or enemy appearances) and then outfit them with appropriate mechanics, or did you start with mechanical concepts and then dress them with the appropriate aesthetics?

Duthie: We always had the idea of making a multiplayer treasure hunting game wrapped up in a live comic book style and so, right from the beginning, we already had a wealth of cultural materials to draw upon, and they both happened simultaneously. For example, when crafting player outfits, we adopted a highly modular approach, separating mechanics from aesthetics. This flexibility enabled us to design the Traverser and gear independently and seamlessly attach them to the character visually.

This approach extended to the environment and enemies as well. Designers and artists collaborated closely to conceptualize, animate, and refine every element encountered in X-Isle. By intertwining gameplay mechanics with visual design from the outset, we ensured a cohesive and immersive experience for players.

Q: What kind of new collectible content is coming to HAWKED? Will you be expanding the game’s arsenal, adding new gear and artifacts, or focusing on cosmetics first?

Duthie:Every part of the game will evolve and be added to on a regular basis. We’ve already been adding our first updates and there is so much more to come!

Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?

Duthie: We've surpassed the 1 million player mark in less than two weeks since launch. If you're seeking an ever-evolving multiplayer treasure hunting experience with an engaging storyline and characters, all wrapped up in a stunning comic book style, then grab your gear and join us on an expedition to X-Isle, Renegade!

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