Remedy's mystery multiplayer shooter is ditching the free-to-play model and going all-in on co-op

gamesradar.com:

Remedy is rebooting its upcoming multiplayer shooter, previously codenamed Vanguard, as "a premium game with a strong, cooperative multiplayer component."

Kestrel, as it's now called, is back to the concept stage after Remedy and publisher Tencent together took a hard look at Vanguard at the end of its proof-of-concept phase. Ultimately, they decided to go in a different direction due to "the rapidly changing free-to-play market and associated risks."

"We have made some great strides in free-to-play and multiplayer development in Vanguard," Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said in a statement. "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."

Remedy announced Vanguard back in December 2020, describing it as a free-to-play multiplayer live-service shooter with the studio's trademark world-crafting and lore. About a year later, the studio announced Chinese tech giant Tencent would be publishing the project.

The studio is hot off the release of the new and highly acclaimed survival horror game Alan Wake 2, which is yet another dark horse contender for Game of the Year 2023 amid a year of bigger name releases like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo 4, and Final Fantasy 16. Larian's universally beloved RPG Baldur's Gate 3 took home the Golden Joystick Award for Ultimate Game of the Year 2023, but there's still The Game Awards to come in December.

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