Hyenas

HYENAS was a multiplayer first person hero shooter created by Creative Assembly and set to come out in 2023. After a closed beta that ran between August 31st 2023 and September 16th 2023, it was announced the game was cancelled on September 28th 2023. At the time it was the most expensive title Sega had ever invested in.

Story
In the near future, Big Tech company CLOUT creates the tech to manipulate gravity, enabling them to spearhead - and control – humanity’s escape to the stars. CLOUT uses the technology to colonize Mars in record time, turning it into a luxurious tax haven, a playground planet for the billionaires that can afford it.

Years later, on Earth, one of the gravity engines fail. This causes a catastrophic singularity that tears apart the planet within weeks, an event later referred to as The Crack. Earth’s governments race to save who they can, frantically co-opting spaceships, but only a fraction of Earth’s population escapes in time. The survivors create a string of orbiting slums that collectively become known as The Taint. It serves as home to three million survivors who have had their futures torn from them, their only option for work being cheap labor as asteroid miners in exchange for scraps from Mars. Meanwhile, Mars’ population has everything it could possibly need – except a sense of purpose.

CLOUT’s solution to Mars’ existential crisis is to replace the societal pillars of politics, art, and religion with the concept of The Brand. Status is now gained by owning rare items instead of achievement – and there are no items rarer or more priceless than the Merch left among the debris of “Broke Earth”. Desirable clothing, media, electronics, and more lie waiting to be discovered. CLOUT create obscene ‘Plunderships’ to return to Broke Earth and salvage Merch for Mars’ consumer hungry populace.

But there are some on The Taint who refuse to sit by as Mars’ billionaires profit from the wreckage. They will not settle for scraps, or the dead-end fate CLOUT offers them. These people have started raiding Plunderships to steal back treasures, reclaim the past and stick a prime middle finger to their supposed betters. These unlikely pirates are known as Hyenas.

Gameplay
HYENAS was an extraction focused hero shooter in which teams of the titular HYENAS would face off against one another trying to obtain as many items of 'Merch'(Sonic statues, clothing, etc) as possible. The game also allowed a PVE option where a team would work together to overcome the antagonistic 'MURFs' to steal as much Merch as possible.

Due to the setting taking place in space, one key game mechanic was zero gravity allowing players to face off against one another in mid air.

Each HYENA has a unique ability. Hero-ki for example can use his cosplay skills to instantly transform into a rival or enemy unit, disguising himself before catching his opponent off guard whilst Galaxia had access to a deflector shield allowing her to walk through swarms of bullets unscathed.

Hero-ki
Name: Hiroki Oda

Age: 22

Hiroki's cosplay and charity work made him a minor internet celebrity back on Earth, but after being evacuated to The Taint, he's had to put his skills with a glue gun towards less innocent pursuits. His crewmates see him as naïve, but Hiroki's love of pop culture and hatred of bullies overrides any respect he once had for authority – especially if he finds materials for a new character costume.

When he was very young, Hiroki was bullied for his love of dressing up as his favourite characters, but this only strengthened his connection to fictional heroes, and he looked to them for guidance and inspiration in doing the right thing. After his cosplaying skills developed enough to gain him some minor internet fame, he used it to promote anti-bullying campaigns and charities to try and give something back.

Now, Hiroki lives on The Taint, and has the chance to become a real hero as Cosplay, the Hyena that battles against the ultimate bullies of CLOUT and Mars' billionaires. Hiroki is very aware that he's not yet the hero he aspires to be, but his imagination, ideals and disguise skills make him a valuable addition to any Hyena crew.

Commander Wright
Name: Alyssa Wright

Age: 31

On Earth, Alyssa dreamed of becoming an astronaut so she could leave behind all the idiots running it into the ground and build a better future for humanity. However, when the Crack devastated the planet, all the idiots followed her up into space. Alyssa refuses to let this fact ruin her love of space, and fights to maintain her ideals in a lunatic universe.

Alyssa's greatest strength is her idealism and sense of responsibility; she is still excited by space exploration, still believes it represents the greatest hope for humanity, and often presumes leadership for her crew, whether asked or not. Some of the other Hyenas end up on the wrong end of Alyssa's sarcasm when her ideals clash with reality, and she can be bossy, but the truth is that Alyssa cares for her crew's safety – and she's usually right. For someone who needs to kick against chaos and protect her crew, it's only fitting that Alyssa is armed with a foam cannon, which she uses to control the space and create defensive structures.

The Pro
Name: “Mr. Jones” (real name unknown)

Age: 45 (unconfirmed)

When The Crack destroyed the prison walls holding Mr. Jones, he escaped to The Taint to continue his criminal career. Now he's back in business – although he's never had to pull a space heist in zero-G with a cosplayer and a ballerina before. Mr. Jones may pine for the good ol' crimes, but at least now he's got a sentry gun to mow down anyone that tries to stop him. The true challenge is for him to tolerate his crew long enough for them to split the Merch.

Mr. Jones is defiantly old-school, and although he is one of the few Hyenas that actually was a professional criminal back on Earth, this new universe of CLOUT, MURFs and Merch is strange to him, and something he stubbornly refuses to even try to understand. The last time Mr. Jones tried to expand his horizons and trust someone, he ended up in prison, breaking a perfect robbery streak. Swearing to never get burned again, he keeps his crew mates at a distance and focuses on doing what he does best – defending his crew's position with his powerful sentry gun when breaking into vaults and getting the job done.

Prima
Name: Prima

Age: 27

Prima never lets the law get in the way of her wanderlust and thirst for adventure. Enrolling in ballet school didn't instill any self-control, just increased her stamina for trouble. When The Crack devastated Earth, Prima embraced the Hyena lifestyle as the ultimate thrill. The Universe has finally caught up with Prima's wildness and she's happy to ride the crazy train to the end, using her 1Up zero-G ability to literally fly free.

Prima is often mistaken as crazy by her fellow crewmates, but in truth, she just has a very different outlook and set of priorities to everyone else. Prima's whole purpose in life has been, and continues to be, to find new experiences, good or bad, regardless of danger. This makes Prima fearless, but also reckless, and she doesn't really understand the danger she puts other Hyenas in or their point of view. For Prima, life is about finding that buzz, and she believes everyone should have a right to seek it, which pets her at odds with CLOUT and Mars' billionaires carefully structured and corporate lifestyles. Prima is the person everyone wants at their party, but for most, a little too unpredictable to be a friend.

Galaxia
Name: Galaxia

Age: 30

Galaxia worked hard to find her true voice, only for her career to take an ass-over-heels tumbled when The Crack interrupted her big break by devastating Earth. After losing her shot at fame, Galaxia realized that all her hardships on Earth were training for her own superhero origin story. From the ashes emerged a cosmic Hyena from the fabulous Galaxy of Drag who slays all, whether it's by using her deflecting ability or by throwing shade.

Galaxia is the epitome of hard work and determination; she makes everything look effortless, but all she is has been achieved through sheer willpower. As a young gay boy, Sherman Pemblebrook was a star-shaped puzzle piece in a world of square holes until he visited a drag show, and a queen was born. Many years of out-of-this-world costumes and show-stopping tunes followed as Galaxia and her band toured and built a reputation as a must-see ticket, slowly winning over town after town.

But it was only when The Crack ruined Galazia's chance at stardom that the final transformation took place. Each setback had added another layer to her armor and as Galaxia dusted recovered from her lowest point, she realised nothing else could hurt her. Now she is one of the toughest Hyenas on The Taint, using that strength to fiercely protect her crew and the other outsiders on The Taint.

El Silbón
Name: Izzy Gato

Age: 28

When Izzy served as a sniper on Earth, her SWAT team nicknamed her 'El Silbón' after a vengeful, Venezuelan mythical creature. Izzy's last case before The Crack was chasing a serial killer who taunted her by stealing her handle. Now she has evidence that the serial killer is still alive and may even be a fellow Hyena on The Taint, so Izzy sits in the shadows as she continues her search and lets her rifle 'Cantante' do the talking.

Ever since hearing her Puerto-Rican grandma's tales of myths from around the world, Izzy has had a love for stories, legends and mysteries, both for their underlying power and in trying to discover the truth in them. As Izzy matured, this passion led her to join the police, and later, become a sniper for the FBI.

When The Crack decimated the Earth and Izzy had to flee with Earth's other survivors to The Taint, the injustices and inequalities performed by CLOUT and Mars' billionaires changed her relationship to the law. Izzy used her knowledge of myths and resurrected her old SWAT handle to become ' El Silbón', a mysterious Hyena who is more concerned with justice than the law, whispered about by MURFs and even feared by other Hyenas. Her sniper rifle, named 'Cantante', is armed with a scanning beacon that reveals the location of her targets, meaning her enemies will hear the whistle of her bullet long before they see her coming.

Doc Hotfix
Name: Ye-Jun Mun

Age: 26

Ye-Jun swears he's a player-character in an FPS, even if the other Hyenas think he's crazy. An accident with a short-circuiting Mega Drive opened Ye-Jun's eyes to the truth, so he sought out a questgiver to help him level up and become a Hyena. Ye-Jun's narrative arc has led him to take a support role with his healing-drone buddy, who is sometimes the only thing that stops the competitive Ye-Jun from rage quitting.

Back on Earth, Ye-Jun was a highly successful professional gamer, so when The Crack happened, he thought his days of winning the prestige that came with it were gone forever, and he struggled to find a place for himself on The Taint. But then the accident that cause him to think he was in a videogame pointed out a new path – by becoming a Hyena, he could put his skills and thirst for competition to the test.

Although he can get frustrated if things aren't going well, it's Ye-Jun's drive for victory that makes him an excellent crew mate. He understands the importance of his support role and takes it seriously, using Drono, his healing drone, to keep his crew mates health – and pick up some videogame Merch in the meantime!

Mozie
Name: Asad Duale

Age: 38

Asad is smart, stylish and charismatic; a born leader able to rally people to fight corrupt authority. When Asad arrived on The Taint and saw the injustice and hypocrisy of Mars, he put together a crew and conducted the first Plundership robbery. His daring and legendary robbery of The Black Swan kickstarted the Hyena heists and made him a hero on The Taint.

Asad knows that wherever there are people, be it on Earth or space, the powerful will never stop seeking more dominance at the expense of the powerless. But he also knows that every empire can be toppled, and it starts with a few brave people willing to stand up as inspiration to others. Asad is one of these people, and has quickly become a hero to the people on The Taint, not just for those who are Hyenas, but the other citizens as well. Upon his arrival, he was instrumental in organizing vital utilities by using the functions of the many different escape ships that make up The Taint, and has become the person to speak to when there is a major problem.

Despite all of this, Asad still finds the time to indulge his sartorial passion by expanding his wardrobe with his plundered clothes; as far as he's concerned, it's business as usual, and the destruction of Earth only means that his targets are bigger, the power he is fighting is more corrupt and the crew members are a lot weirder.

Digits
Name: Dale S. Tucker

Age: 42

If there's one thing Dale learned from mud bog racing and being a roadie for out-of-control rock stars, it's that it's better to roll with the punches than to try and fight them. On The Taint, Dale's day job is a pyrotechnics expert for Plundership robberies, although his priority remains being a hard-drinking headbanger from Alberta and bringing metal – and the occasional misfiring firework – to the masses.

On first meeting him, Dale may seem somewhat unrefined, but underneath that T-shirt beats an easy-going heart of gold and an almost zen-like approach to life, where accepting obstacles and adapting to them is key. That doesn't mean he's not proactive; Dale is a social animal and always trying to rally others together, like when he built the first nightclub on The Taint, or attempted a mid-Plundership raid gig that ended in a regrettable hull breach. Yes, he can be reckless, but unlike a certain tutu wearing Hyena, Dale tries to be considerate of his crew mates' welfare, even when he's using his pyro discs to light up a Plundership.

Trivia

 * HYENAS is said to have had a budget of $100m, making it the most expensive title Sega has ever funded surpassing even Shenmue's $70m.
 * The game has been revealed to have an incredibly troubled production with the creative team having been given conflicting direction for years on the title, an engine change part way through the process, and attempting to break into an oversaturated market long after the trend had passed. Insider information was leaked to Youtuber Volound.
 * Sadly the cost of this game and it's failure to capture an audience has lead to the cancellation of a few unannounced Sega of Europe titles.
 * During the Closed Beta, the most played character was Prima followed by Hero-ki and El Silbón.
 * Hero-ki has plushies of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy attached to him. His default cosplay is that of Sonic, but he also had a Tails, Knuckles, Metal Sonic and Shadow cosplay skin. The Shadow skin swaps out the default plushes and has a Dr. Eggman and Shadow plush included instead.
 * Various Sega arcade cabinets including OutRun could be found in the map.