Haze finally gets firm May date, again

By Robert Purchese Published 9 April, 2008

Spokesperson confirms release plans.

A Ubisoft spokesperson has told Eurogamer that Haze will "definitely" be released on 23rd May.

The news follows much confusion over when the game will be released.

Haze is a PS3-exclusive shooter from Free Radical that sees you fighting a gigantic private military company.

Mantel, as it's known, gives soldiers a drug called Nectar. This boosts their performance to super-human levels. But it also leaves them with various weaknesses, which you and your rebel forces will have to exploit in order to win the day.

Will it be worth the wait? Pop over to our detailed first impressions of Haze for more.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (54) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Bumhug360 #1 4 years ago

    [sarcasm]Going up against Rock Band on the 360 then, brave move.....[/sarcasm]

  • betahoven #2 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:36:16 17-12-2011

  • Garulon #3 4 years ago

    Yay! Good old Haze! With an astonishing pedgegree of a heavily-delayed PS3 firstperson shooter behind it, I smell a sure-fire smash hit!

  • Olemak #4 4 years ago

    Not a great time to launch, but at least the COD4 and Halo # mania has died down, making room for another shooter... the other competitive shooters released the past six months have been bretty meh.

    I might get this if the reviews are good. But it's got some stiff competition from GTA IV. I'm a slow gamer with little time on my hands, and with the out-doorsy season coming up I might have to give this a miss all together. May is the doldrums of the gaming industry.

  • MasterNameless #5 4 years ago

    @betahoven

    LOL! Didn't you notice Bumhug's fairly obvious sarcasm? If Haze outsells Rock Band 2:1 it will be doing VERY badly! More like 20:1, at the very least. Or were you making a joke about how badly Haze will sell? If so, took me a while to get it.

  • Xerx3s #6 4 years ago

    /awaits ubi man to dismiss claims

  • monkie_king #7 4 years ago

    Yes, expect another Ubi press release this afternoon confirming that Haze is now pencilled in for an Xmas launch as a Wii exclusive.

  • penhalion #8 4 years ago

    "A Ubisoft spokesperson has told Eurogamer that Haze will "definitely" be released on 23rd May."

    Causing PS3 owners around the world say "Meh" with renewed enthusiasm and gusto.

  • miiiguel #9 4 years ago

    lol! Haze outselling Rock Band which already sold 2 milion copies ? That would be quite an achievement...

    Or you were talking about outselling Rock Band in Bosnia ? If that's the case... my bad...

  • mkreku #10 4 years ago

    I saw a trailer from this on Gametrailers. Game looks very smooth. Must say I was more impressed with the video than I've been from reading previews of watching pictures. I think I felt my interest gland move a little.

  • miiiguel #11 4 years ago

    May, the month of GTA? Who cares about GTA? Haze!

  • Benno #12 4 years ago

    They say no press is bad press when it comes to games.

    I would agree with this for the most part, but constant fluctuating hype and mystery and confusion over release dates has done this game no good at all.

    I have lost interest anyway, it looks very average to me, but I like to think I have high standards, thats why i whine a lot.

  • MasterNameless #13 4 years ago

    Surely at £130 for the set(with the discounts that is), Rock Band can't still outsell Haze? God I hope not, otherwise we'll continue ripped off to the nth degree by EA's ridiculously insulting pricing structure... Please please, cancel those preorders!!

  • Benno #14 4 years ago

    Plus the fact that im a cunt

    I'll get this if it gets a 7/10 or more, just so I have something to play on my PS3 :D

  • Xerx3s #15 4 years ago

    MazzingerZ: VP.

  • Apostle #16 4 years ago

    Looks like it'll be a 7/10, maybe an 8/10 game. That's pretty good surely? If the multiplayer is good, and it has a good review on the singleplayer side I might be swayed.

  • BiscuitBase #17 4 years ago

    6/10 max

  • space_ace #18 4 years ago

    release date a bit hazy? :)

  • smartgun #19 4 years ago

    With all this talk of Nectar and so forth, I'm just hoping it still has my favourite FPS game mechanic - the execution of various baddies using guns.

  • BiscuitBase #20 4 years ago

    @Smartgun

    No man, shooting enemies is so last gen, it's all about story and moral choices these days!!

  • bitesize #21 4 years ago

    Few FPS developers have the merit list of FREE RADICAL: GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters, they are the real team behind Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, they were that RARE not the RARE everybody knows today

    not really. some people (5 or so i think) left rare and started up free radical, most of the people now at frd have never had anything to do with rare.


    btw, is this now a definite ps3 exclusive? seemed to be some confusion over it in the last few news articles, but this one now says for sure...

  • penhalion #22 4 years ago

    @smartgun

    er actually it's all about the nectar blades and nectar grenades. There isn't a nectar gun and you shoot the dispencer hoses on armoured foes to OD them.

  • Beano #23 4 years ago

    "btw, is this now a definite ps3 exclusive? seemed to be some confusion over it in the last few news articles, but this one now says for sure..."

    Well, you'll always find speculation and 360-fanboys trying to question PS3-exclusive titles... just like MGS4 ;)

  • Beano #24 4 years ago

    "Going up against Rock Band on the 360 then, brave move.....[/"

    Not really - the PS3 version will not be out on that date, only the 360 version :)

  • miiiguel #25 4 years ago

    Many sites reported Haze for the 360 & PC. Xbox-fanboys are an important part of the video-game ecology, but not "that" important, as to rule all those sites, imo.

    And will you get out of that tiny box? Rock Band was released ages ago, and it proved its success already. What's Haze in comparison, btw ?
    Edited by 1 at 09/04/08 @ 12:43

  • WinterSnowblind #26 4 years ago

    @Beano

    It has nothing to do with the "fanboys" but the fact the developers outright said there would be a PC and 360 version. This was later contridicted, but as in many cases, chances are Sony managed to capture a timed exclusive deal. Expect to see this ported to the other systems before the end of the year.

    Either way, I can't say I'm interested, there's been enough FPS' lately and there's too many better games coming this year. And yes, I have PS3.

  • Beano #27 4 years ago

    "And will you get out of that tiny box? Rock Band was released ages ago, and it proved its success already. What's Haze in comparison, btw ? "

    What are you talking about?

    Rock Band will not be out on PS3 in may (only the 360 version will) so Haze will not be affected by it in any way.

    Haze's success is "only" depending on if it's a good game or not, and how it's marketed - not Rock Band on Xbox 360.

  • Beano #28 4 years ago

    "It has nothing to do with the "fanboys" but the fact the developers outright said there would be a PC and 360 version. This was later contridicted, but as in many cases, chances are Sony managed to capture a timed exclusive deal. "

    True - but it has been mentioned as a exclusive title on several occations since bit "some people" keeps speculating on the 360 version.

  • GitSomE_UK #29 4 years ago

    So the 23rd May......

    /Ace Ventura voice

    Reeeaahhhhllllllleeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy

    Why, spank you very much Mr Radical

  • kangarootoo #30 4 years ago

    "Haze will outsell Rock Band 2:1"

    Its going to be shit loads higher than that. My guess is 8:1.


    If Haze is good, I'll be pleased. If its not, I shall silently not buy it. Its as simple as that.

  • Apologie #31 4 years ago

    Haze looks magnificent, the demo i saw based in a jungle, much like Crysis and Far Cry, with lush green environment, dense, details, providing beautiful streams of light filtering though open patches of sky, the "proof of concept" demo also shows smooth animation, quick movement, and an attention to detail in the character models and backgrounds.The game is packed with gameplay elements in need of being fleshed out, distinguished and polished, Free Radical have done it's homework, the story elements and narrative "that explores morale issues etc are very intresting "-- in addition to advanced AI, team dynamics and more, the fact that they didn't used the Unreal Engine distinguishes the game from the majority of other shooters around too.
    Can't wait, the game will be amazing... sitting confortably between 8/10 and 10/10.

  • bitesize #32 4 years ago


    apostle scores it 7/10, apologie scores it 9/10. good scores guys, where did you get your review copies again?

  • Pedrolot #33 4 years ago

    DAMNIT! all my funds are tied up..so thats 2 games ill be missing at launch...this and GTA4

  • J.C #34 4 years ago

    Timesplitters 4. i will wait for that.

  • muscleblade #35 4 years ago

    @hedbog wrote: It'll be utter shite.


    Of course it will. Its an PS3 exclusive.

  • miiiguel #36 4 years ago

    Beano, djeeezuz man, Rock Band is out on PS3 and 360 ages ago. It sold already much more than Haze ever will, imo.
    [link url=http://kotaku.com/346379/rock-band-25-million-songs-sold
    ]http://ko taku.com/346379/rock-band-25-mi...[/link]

  • Garulon #37 4 years ago

    "fact that they didn't used the Unreal Engine distinguishes the game from the majority of other shooters around too."

    Do you mean the majority of shooters that were released back in November when Haze was supposed to come out or the majority of shooters released in the six months since then?

  • Progguitarist #38 4 years ago

    Im sure it could potentially be a decent game but wtf were they thinking with the character design?

    Sneaking around the jungle with a luminous yellow visor = please shoot me in the face, thanks.

  • penhalion #39 4 years ago

    @Garulon

    The unreal engine is coming along nicely now so it really isn't an advantage not to use it. The games usually look the same because people use the stock shaders for some unfathomable reason. Looking at some of the games you wonder why they don't have a go at their artists for simply plugging textures into the stock shaders and claiming to have created some art assets.

  • Kenshin001 #40 4 years ago

    Awesome, first GTA4 then Haze and then MGS4. Plenty of stuff to keep people busy. The Edge preview of this sounded pretty good too.

    Don't know why so many people who love the 360 are ragging on this game since more than likely they will never play it.

  • miiiguel #41 4 years ago

    Kenshin001, I love the 360, and I will play this if I want, and Zelda, and Mariooooo. It doesn't hurt, believe me.

    GTA comes out 29/April, so it's like 2 days before April ends, than comes...er... let me see... AH! May!
    Edited by 1 at 09/04/08 @ 14:48

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #42 4 years ago

    It's MantEL, not MantLE.

    Whoops, sorry. I blame the robot that I dictate the news stories to; it was all Wordy's fault.

  • Widge #43 4 years ago

    Apologie has posted literally that same text TWICE now

  • Widge #44 4 years ago

    RE: Mantel's yellow visors. I think that fits their profile of walking meathead killing machines, who are dosed on self belief and arrogance that they don't care they are seen a mile off, they want you to see them... heading in... to kill you... which they fully believe they will do so.

    I dunno, I keep going up and down about this. Ask me a month ago, no interest, all these stories now, some interest. I like the idea of no loading times, I didn't like the chapter by chapter stylee of RFOM. I'm also hoping there is a good bit of story driven action in it, because I found HalfLife2 a huge journey driven by no motivation.

    Dare I say it, I've not played an involving 1 player FPS since Halo (discounting Bioshock because I only played it for a hour before moving back to FFXII using backwards compatibility!).

  • SeesThroughAll #45 4 years ago

    Nobody will care about Haze.

  • bodypopper #46 4 years ago

    Are there monkeys in it?

  • Apologie #47 4 years ago

    There are no loading screens in Haze. Once you’ve booted up the game, you can play the entire ten hour single player or four-player co-op campaign without ever seeing a mission select or loading screen. The whole game is one big seamless, streaming experience. So, whilst there aren’t ‘levels’ in the conventional sense, you will be traveling through twelve unique environments in Haze. From a lush sunny jungle, to the freezing heights of a mountain top, to a huge cargo ship, to the Promise Hand village in the midst of a tropical storm - each of the environments are hand-made.

    Cant wait...
    Edited by 2 at 09/04/08 @ 17:23

  • bodypopper #48 4 years ago

    No sewers then? For shame.

  • bitesize #49 4 years ago

    each of the environments are hand-made

    i suspect they might have used a computer for a few of them.

  • Darren #50 4 years ago

    I think they mean they haven't been procedurally generated like Oblivion... ; )

  • NthSimulachum #51 4 years ago

    Oblivion was procedurally generated?

  • zedzee #52 4 years ago

    "Mantel gives soldiers a drug called Nectar."

    Can I use my Nectar loyalty card with it?

  • Triggerhappytel #53 4 years ago

    EG, please stop reporting on this game until the final review. Apathy doesn't begin to describe what the torrent of information about this game has induced on me.

    It'll need to be really good to tweak my interest again.

  • bitesize #54 4 years ago

    I think they mean they haven't been procedurally generated like Oblivion... ; )

    yes, i did realise that. was being facetious as i thought it was a ridiculous comment (even for apologie) to be trumpeting 'hand-made levels' as a plus point of the game when the vast majority of games are made that way...