Digital Confectioners, an independent PC and console games studio, announced today that Dread Hunger, its multiplayer roleplaying game of survival and betrayal where players undertake a deadly voyage on a doomed sailing ship, will launch on Steam for PC this fall.
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The upcoming full release follows the game’s popular Early Access phase. Capturing the attention of early media adopters and game influencers, Dread Hunger’s gameplay videos are amassing millions of views, and the game is killing it with an 88% positive user review score.
Dread Hunger immerses players in a rich world of 19th century Arctic exploration where eight player-controlled ‘Explorers’ depend on each other for survival—but two of them are ‘Thralls’ determined to sabotage the mission!
“It has been deeply gratifying to see a loyal community spring up around Dread Hunger and throw themselves into everything from discovering new metas to just goofing around and pretending to be old-timey priests,” said Alex Quick, Creative Director of the Dread Hunger Team.
“We’ve been listening closely to the community’s feedback as we move through Early Access, and I think the game is so much better for it!”
Players use voice chat to role play and give life to their chosen character aboard the ship while completing objectives in an action-adventure game world. The six Explorers must work together to gather resources to power the ship towards its destination while contending with the harsh climate.
Meanwhile, Thralls plot to poison food, massacre crewmembers, detonate explosives in the ship, plunder resources, and invoke dark magic to undermine the mission—all while pretending to be loyal Explorers. Starvation, wolves, cannibal attacks, and other gruesome fates abound; any misplaced trust can quickly lead to a knife in the back. When food is sparse, fellow crewmates appear more and more appetizing.
The full release of Dread Hunger will bring the final version of maps, characters, and gameplay updates to the Unreal® Engine-based title. Progress toward the final game can be seen in today’s video for new ‘The Great Hunt’ update, which brings a new map – The Summit, a new character – The Hunter, her Bow weapon, and a terrifying new enemy – the Polar Bear:
Game Key Features
Survive the Arctic: Build fires to stay warm, fend off wolves and other predators, and hunt for food to stay alive in the brutal and unforgiving Canadian Arctic
Betray Your Friends: Feed them tainted food, lure animals to attack them, hex them with blood magic, or if all else fails… just shoot them in the back
Roleplay Your Character: Add flavor and personality to your character by using integrated voice chat and your in-game actions. Play as the Captain, Navigator, Engineer, Cook, Doctor, Chaplain, Royal Marine, or Hunter, all equipped with a unique starting kit and passive ability.
You Are What You Eat: In the Arctic, you must make grim choices to stay fed; butcher bodies and use the pieces as weapons—or food
Captain a Ship: Steer a 19th-century warship around (or into) icebergs and find coal for the ever-hungry boiler to keep the ship moving… or blow it up
Brave a Perilous World: Plan around a full day and night cycle, contend with unexpected whiteouts, and try to outrun a massive blizzard that looms over the expedition
Dread Hunger, scheduled for release on PC via Steam this fall, is developed by the Dread Hunger Team and published by Digital Confectioners. The game will first be released on PC, but developers are exploring options to bring the game to other platforms.
