A group of developers formerly at Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog are joining forces for a new RPG — but if you’re picturing something that resembles the games from their old studios, you’re in for a surprise. Rather than an action-packed epic spanning a fantasy continent or an entire solar system, the upcoming Hawthorn is about a group of adorable mice galavanting around a cozy little village and throwing feasts. And I, for one, am glad for the change of pace.
Along with developers with games like Mass Effect, Fallout, and League of Legends, Hawthorn developer NEARStudios’ staff includes Bruce Nesmith, the lead designer of Skyrim. Rather than repeat anything its members have made in the past, NEARStudios is aiming for a very different experience, and potentially a different audience, for its first release. Rather than a sword-swinging barbarian, you’ll play as one of a variety of woodland creatures in Hawthorn. NEARStudios says the game is inspired by “Victorian-era European fairytales and the spirit of 80’s and 90’s adventure stories featuring anthropomorphic animals.” So while it doesn’t actually name Redwall, we can guess at the references used.
