An ESRB listing has appeared for a game called Hunt: Showdown 1896, potentially suggesting that a sequel to the popular PvPvE shooter is in the works.
The rating is, as you'd probably expect from a followup to Hunt: Showdown, Mature 17+ owing to "blood and gore" and "violence". The listing also warns that the game will contain in-game purchases.
Much like the first game, Hunt: Showdown 1896, whatever it turns out to be, will be set in the Victorian era and will revolve around the use of "bladed bats, clubs, brass knuckles, and pistols" to kill both monsters and other players, according to the ESRB.
The listing goes on to describe some pretty grisly things you'll be able to see and do in Hunt: Showdown 1896, including "cav[ing] in zombies' heads" and "cut[ting] off their limbs".
According to the ESRB, the game will feature a type of zombie that "explodes into blood and viscera when killed", as well as another one that wears "human skin as a cape". Well, we've all had some pretty extreme Friday nights, no?
I'm not a Hunt: Showdown aficionado, but I'm pretty sure the aforementioned descriptions don't neatly fit any of the game's existing monsters, so 1896 could be a followup or a new game rather than an expanded re-release of the original.
Sadly, we haven't had an official announcement from Crytek yet, so we'll have to fall back on speculation and this ESRB rating for now. Hopefully, we'll hear something more in the next few weeks.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 will, according to the ESRB page, launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S when it does arrive, although no release date is listed.
It is, of course, possible that this is the name Crytek is giving to the current-gen version of Hunt: Showdown, which is due to arrive sometime after the PS4 and Xbox One versions are sunsetted in August.
That new version is set to bring an engine change, UI improvements, and a new map to the game, among other things, although Crytek has already announced the relaunch without referring to it as Hunt: Showdown 1896.
It's all to play for right now, so watch this space for any further information from Crytek. Until then, you can check out Hunt: Showdown on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and you can take a look at our review here to see how it shakes out.
