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People behind APB Reloaded buy Hawken

But is it a good thing for the game?

Remember Hawken, the free-to-play mech shooter that was billed as the next big thing? The company that owns APB Reloaded, Reloaded Games, has just bought it.

New producer Joshua "capnjosh" Clausen announced the news on Facebook.

"I'm pretty excited to *now* be able to announce that Reloaded Games is the new owner of Hawken. It's a seriously great honour to be a part of the Hawken story, and I want to see it thrive."

The news comes after months of silence around Hawken. The game launched as an Early Access title on Steam in February 2014 and there it has remained. The last update on Steam was July 2014.

Hawken had been available to try in beta form since 2012, but struggled to find a large audience. The eye-catching mech battler first stormed into view back in 2011 with an impressive debut trailer.

Clausen promised a raft of updates now Hawken was in new hands.

"Just to confirm, yes, Hawken is here to stay," he added on Facebook.

Here's what he outlined would be worked on:

  • Fix password reset
  • Get Forums working again
  • Fix more deployment stuff
  • Fix a bunch of tools systems
  • Play Hawken
  • Fix more back end systems
  • Play more Hawken and get rolled by the good players
  • Fix Fix Fix (yeah, lots of this)
  • Plan new updates and future changes

The news was met with a mixed reaction. Some have suggested Hawken could be in trouble, if Reloaded's record with APB is anything to go by, while others remain cautiously optimistic.

One post on the Hawken sub-Reddit is currently catching the attention of players. It's from user Noviinha, a veteran APB Reloaded player, and reads as a warning to Hawken players about the game's new owner.

"This acquisition is a both a blessing and a curse, similarities can be drawn between this acquisition and that of APB," Noviinha writes.

"Yes, you'll able to enjoy your game for a little longer, but it will all go down hill afterwards."

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