Wild Hearts will be published under the EA Originals banner
Do you wish more games followed in the footsteps of Monster Hunter, especially after big-budget hits like Monster Hunter: World and Iceborne? While Capcom has been on fire, there’s room for more, and EA of all companies is making a move with Omega Force. [Update: The game is called Wild Hearts, and it will be shown on September 28.]
Electronic Arts announced its partnership with Koei Tecmo for an Omega Force-developed hunting action game that’s set in “fantasy feudal Japan.” According to the companies, they are aiming to deliver “the next great hunting game” with this “AAA”-budget original IP.
Details are light, with more news to come “later this month,” but we do know the Omega Force collaboration will be released through the EA Originals label. If you haven’t been keeping score, this is where some of the most interesting EA-backed games have been coming from — Unravel, Lost in Random, Fe, and It Takes Two, to name a few.
“The EA team fully embraces our creative independence and have become invaluable partners offering both development and publishing support,” said Koei Tecmo Games executive vice president Yosuke Hayashi in a press release. “Adding the global resources of EA with our own will help us introduce a new kind of hunting game to a global audience of players and expand our reach into global markets.”
“[Omega Force has] elevated the hunting genre to the next level, merging their proven talent for combat gameplay with unexpected and innovative mechanics,” added Jeff Gamon, the general manager of EA Partners.
As much as the studio is known for the Warriors games, you can’t forget about Toukiden. With little info to go on, I can’t help but feel like this will have clear connective tissue — as much as a distinct new property can, anyway. I’m stoked to see a potential glow-up.
More big bets in the hunting-action space? Sounds great. EA and Omega Force are an unlikely pair, but I’m hoping these two worlds mesh and the game is better off for it.
