Earth is gone, the rich have colonised Mars and the rest of humanity is living their worst life in The Taint, a giant orbiting slum. While humanity is trying to survive, the Mars billionaires are more worried about fulfilling their nostalgic dreams. Plunderships, massive retail spacecrafts dedicated to selling salvaged pop-culture artefacts from Earth, our artefacts, at space-high prices to satisfy their desires.

We, an unlikely pack of talented robbers, hit the Mars elite where it hurts most: their stuff A.K.A. OUR stuff. They call us "Hyenas". We get in, empty some clips into their security clones and other ""preventative measures"", steal all the best stuff then get out. Exploding a clone in zero gravity is kind of messy, but as long as we make it out with the merch it’s worth it.

So, you in?

Creative Assembly has revealed Hero-Ki, the cosplaying specialist who joins the playable crew in chaotic extraction shooter Hyenas… and someone who has clearly been inspired by a certain speedy SEGA series!

Hero-Ki was a minor celebrity back on Earth thanks to his cosplay and charity work but after being evacuated to The Taint, he’s had to turn those same skills towards more nefarious pursuits. Armed with a specially modified camera to capture a target's likeness and cosplay as them, Hero-Ki can use his penchant for disguise to evade threats and exploit the environment in HYENAS, as only the sharpest-eyed rival will be able to detect the clues that reveal him as an imposter. 

Hero-Ki takes his place among the other Hyenas which include specialists like the uzi-wielding ballerina Prima and foam-gun packing astronaut Commander Wright, with more character reveals still to come.

All PC players are invited to #JoinThePack at playhyenas.com for their chance to participate in the next alpha test, which begins tomorrow at 17:00 GMT. To give you a taste of what to expect, Live Product Director Alex Hunnisett took part in Future Games Show Spring Showcase to present Hero-Ki's debut and an exclusive HYENAS gameplay teaser.

In tomorrow’s alpha, you’ll get to play as Hero-Ki on both playable Plundership maps, letting you run wild across the New York-themed We Took Manhattan and the 80s-inspired Greed is Good. This alpha will be live for eleven days, giving players plenty of time to get stuck in and sharpen their tactics before its doors close at 09:00 BST on Monday April 3rd.

Key Features:

• Give Zero Fs in Zero-G: Why walk when you can fly? Traverse seamlessly into zero-G zones where movement and combat take flight.
• Meet the HYENAS: A cast of memorable misfits with unique abilities and big personalities. Pick a Hyena to suit your style, whether that's all guns blazing, or manipulating the environment to your advantage.
• Steal Iconic Merch: Yesterday's pop culture collectibles are priceless artefacts in a post-Earth age. Steal iconic memorabilia from the Plunderships' vaults before rival crews do.
• Become the Top Pack: Compete against other packs of players while taking down Plundership security forces. Meet your loot quota and make your escape to win.
• An Evolving Challenge: Look forward to new HYENAS joining the party and the launch of extra Plunderships with more precious merch to steal.
• Escape to Win: Use unique skills and abilities to face-off in fast-paced battles in a bid to secure your stolen merch, ESCAPE TO WIN, BABY!

Hyenas is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam/Epic Games Store) in 2023.