I’ve been following the Hawken development for quite some time now, and every teaser and trailer I’ve watched has increased my excitement for the game. If you haven’t heard of Hawken before, it’s basically a mech combat game in the vein of the classic Mech Warrior series. I absolutely loved Mech Warrior 2, and I was sad to see the franchise left to stagnate over the years. There’s something uniquely satisfying about blasting enemy mechs to bits in the carcass of a futuristic city. If Hawken can pull off even a fraction of the gritty action that the MW franchise did so well, I’ll be an extremely happy fellow.
Though Adhesive Games has been pretty good about releasing a steady stream of development updates, they hadn’t mentioned anything about a release date. That all changes today with their announcement of a December 12th, 2012 retail release date. Not only that, but Adhesive is planning a closed multiplayer beta before then as well. We don’t know an exact date, but I gather that details are forthcoming.
The other big piece of news surrounding the game’s inevitable launch is that Hawken won’t cost you a penny. Adhesive has decided to launch the game as a free to play title, while generating revenue through micro-transactions. This doesn’t always work well, as in some cases players can simply pay money to gain an advantage by purchasing better equipment, but I’m willing to give Adhesive the benefit of the doubt. Having said that, I really hope the team decides to sell purely aesthetic items instead, like the silly hats in Team Fortress 2.
Hawken Closed Beta Details
Head over to the Hawken Closed Beta Signup page to secure your spot today. I don’t think spots are limited, but you may as well sign up early anyway. Once you’ve registered your email address with Adhesive, they’ll send you an email containing invite codes for three of your friends. If you can get your pals to sign up, Adhesive will allow you to reserve your very own call sign before the game launches. Don’t delay, invite your friends so you can register “800813” or “Schlongs69” today!
Hey Chad, I’m glad to see your enthusiasm for Hawken! I’m actually one of the 3D artists at Adhesive Games. If I may, I just wanted to correct one bit of information about the game:
12-12-12 is in fact the retail release date! The closed beta will start at an earlier, still unannounced date.
See you on the battlefield!
Hey Cameron,
Thanks for the heads up, I’ll update the article to reflect that. 🙂 Give us a heads up when beta starts and I’ll be sure to announce it to our readers.