Sony Announces Warhawk Successor Starhawk

Sony Computer Entertainment will follow up on 2007's Warhawk for the PlayStation 3 with a spiritual successor, Starhawk, the company has said; a feature on dev studio LightBox is also live now. Described as a "fast paced third-person shooter... set in the lawless frontier of space," Starhawk is being developed by Austin-based LightBox Interactive, which houses several ex-employees of now-defunct Warhawk developer Incognito. The game's main draw is what the studio is calling its "Build & Battle system," which allows the player to literally drop base structures onto the playfield from the skies above. In addition to performing their functions (be it a vehicle spawn point, a turret, or just a simple defensive wall), these objects can crush enemies if the drops are timed right. "The combination of a run and gun, frenetic gameplay style with our advanced Build & Battle system will truly move the genre forward offering new strategic and tactical options for the player," said Sony Computer Entertainment VP of product marketing Scott Steinberg. Like Warhawk before it, Starhawk will feature 32-person online multiplayer, but unlike Warhawk it will have what LightBox is promising will be a robust single-player experience as well. Gamasutra had the chance to speak to LightBox president Dylan Jobe and Starhawk lead designer Josh Sutphin about the game, as well as the studio's unlikely move from Salt Lake City to Austin, at a recent Sony media event to announce the game. The full-length feature on the game's genesis and design, and the developers' thoughts behind the long-distance move is now available on Gamasutra.