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Indie studio Xaviant has announced The Culling, an online battle game that sees 16 players exploring a tropical island, scavenging items and crafting weapons to help them survive a brutal battle royale.
It is, essentially, The Hunger Games: The Video Game.
“As a contestant in the deadly game of The Culling, you must explore, scavenge items, craft weapons, and build traps that will enable you to slay your fellow contestants and emerge victorious before the end of the round,” reads the game’s description. “Only with cunning, skill, and a little luck will you be able to prevail and survive the match.”
The game is due to release on Steam Early Access in March before rolling out in full in 2017, and is described by Xaviant as “the first stand-alone entry in the battle royale genre”. You can check out the first screenshots through here.
“Our goal is to not only for The Culling to be the genre leader, but also to grow into a popular e-sport,” the developer says on Steam.
“While those are lofty goals for a small indie studio like ours, our team is staffed with industry veterans and we know we’re up to the task. The initial heavy-lifting is already done. We are confident that we have a solid core game (we know because our whole team plays the latest build together for at least an hour every day).”
The Culling will focus heavily on melee combat, says Xaviant, with blades, axes and spears all available for the player to wield, while snares, mines and remote-detonated explosives will help players outwit unsuspecting opponents.
“I asked a small, talented team to come up with their dream game and gave them the autonomy to build it,” said Xaviant’s founder and CEO Michael McMain. “The Culling is the result of that effort. It has been the highlight of my career!”
The Culling hits Steam Early Access on March 8. Intrigued? Take a look at the first trailer below.
Source: Xaviant, store.steampowered.com
