Sega casually kills Hyenas, cites “structural reforms” to its EU business
Out of nowhere, Creative Assembly's hero shooter has been ripped out from under it.
SEGA has announced that it's cancelling Hyenas as part of "structural reforms" to its EU business. The game, being developed by UK-based Creative Assembly, was announcec back in 2022 and was targetting this year for release.
In a statement made by SEGA Sammy Holdings on its official website, the company stated, "In response to the lower profitability of the European region, we have reviewed the title portfolio of each development base in Europe and the resulting action will be to cancel “HYENAS” and some unannounced titles under development. Accordingly, we will implement a write-down of work-in-progress for titles under development."
The company also foresees a severe lack of income as a result, stating later in the article that it expects: "losses of approximately 14.3 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024". There's been no statement as of yet from Creative Assembly on the news.
Hyenas only recently concluded a closed beta test earlier this month, and was met with positive previews from a variety of outlets. It was also jam packed filld with SEGA references and tie-ins, adding on top to what feels ike a staggering betrayal of Creative Assembly. In the past, Creative Assembly has addressed comments that the game has been a "challenging title".
What are your thoughts on this news? You've got to feel for the team at Creative Assembly, who have had the rug pulled out from under them here.