Today Remedy Entertainment announced that it is rebooting development of its cooperative free-to-play game code-named Vanguard.
According to the announcement, the game will be turned into a premium game (meaning, a full paid release with no free-to-play business model) with a "strong cooperative multiplayer content."
To signify the change, the game has also been given a new codename, "Kestrel."
We learn that the game has reached the end of the proof-of-concept phase and its status has been evaluated. As a consequence, part of the game's development team will move on to other projects within the studio, while the core leadership and the remaining developers will focus on the new concept.
As a result, the game will basically go back to the drawing board, returning to the concept stage to be turned into an experience that "will lean more into Remedy’s core strengths and be built on many of the features, assets, and themes already designed for Vanguard."
If you're unfamiliar with Vanguard, it was announced two years ago in partnership with Tencent. It was then delayed in August 2022.
The announcement comes with a comment by Remedy Entertainment CEO Tero Virtala.
We have made some great strides in free-to-play and multiplayer development in Vanguard.
After a lot of careful consideration, we believe that taking on a new direction where the game will be built more around Remedy’s core competences is the right way to go. We are creating another distinct Remedy game with Tencent’s continued support in making a great cooperative multiplayer experience.
This comes hot on the heels of the success of Alan Wake 2, which has earned critical and fan acclaim as a single-player, premium game. We don't know whether this influenced the decision to reboot Vanguard as a premium title.
If you're curious about Remedy's latest game, you can read our review, which defined it as "one of the best survival horror games we've ever played."
