Way of the Hunter – Official FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Way of the Hunter?

• Way of the Hunter (WotH) is the next-generation hunting game from Nine Rocks Games and THQ Nordic. The game offers vast open-world environments, realistic rifle handling, a story campaign with compelling characters, natural animal behavior, a lengthy and engaging end-game, co-op multiplayer, and a sense of discovery of the beautiful nature in two initial locations.

What technology is WotH using?

• WotH is using Unreal Engine 4 as a base for our ambitious plans.

What does it mean to have “vast open-world” environments?

• We offer two locations handcrafted to the last details with a size of 55 square miles/144 square kilometers each.

What does “realistic rifle handling” mean?

• We have studied each and every rifle included in the game from A to Z. Team members responsible for rifle handling are either active hunters or they have rich experience from working on other hunting games. We know how to handle various types of hunting rifles in real life and we tried to transfer the experience into the game, including animations, sounds, etc. We are looking forward to telling you more once we start introducing our rifles and equipment.

What do you mean by the “Strong story elements” statement?

• We have tried to incorporate the story from the beginning because we wanted to create a different kind of hunting game. The story in Way of the Hunter does not just serve as a tutorial; it is vital for exploration and learning how to hunt, and hunt ethically. However, if the only thing you care about is hunting itself, we will not keep you occupied by the story for too long. The same applies to virtual nature lovers because we also want to please them.

What do you mean by “natural animal behavior”?

• Simply put, we have experts in our team who studied the behavior of every animal in the game to the last detail, in each environment. We know where each animal goes to sleep, eat and drink, and the design of the game reflects it. If you are a hunter or if you study the specific animal’s behavior in our game, you will know where to find it, at what time, and why.

What do you mean by “sense of discovery”?

• Way of the Hunter is a hunting game in the first place, with all expected mechanics and features in place for people who would like to spend 100+ hours just hunting. But WotH offers more. We wanted to provide the joy of just observing nature and animals to everyone. We included strong story elements and tutorials for people who have no experience with the genre. When they are out of the initial stage, they can observe the beauty of nature—the same as we are doing during our gameplay sessions regularly.

When will the game be released?

• August 16th, 2022

On which platforms will the game be released?

• The game is primarily developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Why “Way of the Hunter”?

• Believe it or not, it results from cooperation between developers and publishers. Way of the Hunter expresses the nature of the game perfectly in terms of initial ambition, design, content, and hopefully, the result.

Are the rifles and equipment licensed or just made up?

• Everything you can use in the game is based on real models. We have signed partnership with several companies and we can use their brands and data. Take a look at Steyr Arms presenteation, for example:

What equipment will I be able to use?

• We support all the standard hunting equipment including binoculars, callers etc.

How many animal species do you have in the game?

• You can take a look at trailers presenting in detail animal species living in: Pacific Northwest map (14):

Do you have a trophy system?

• Yes, quite a sophisticated one. Take a look here:

Is there a place where I can see my trophies?

• Yes, the game will feature a main hunting lodge in each region where you will be able to see your claimed trophies.

Do you support achievements?

• Of course, on each platform.

How many people can play in co-op multiplayer?

• For the release, we can promise 3 people on PS5, 2 on Xbox Series X/S and 4 people on PC.

Will the game feature microtransactions?

• There are no in-game microtransactions in Way of the Hunter.

Will the game have NFTs?

• There are no NFTs in Way of the Hunter.

When will you show actual features?

• You can see quite a lot of from the game in gameplay trailer. We’ll release more footage before the release and after that:

Will the game have a physical release?

• Yes, boxed copies for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will be available for purchase.

Are you planning to release DLCs, free updates, or expansions?

• Yes, we plan to release several free updates and paid DLC’s in the future.

What are your plans for the game – short-term or long-term support?

• 100% long-term support.

The gameplay trailer has shown your portrayal of a virtual hunting experience, along with some features that will make the process simpler and more accessible. Which of these will players be able to disable if they prefer a more hardocre experience? Are any of them mandatory?

• Players who prefer a more authentic virtual hunt will be able to turn these features off. In addition to that, the highest difficulty option completely disables the ability to use Hunter Sense which highlights highlights animal signs and other important details. Without it, players will be able (and required) to rely on their own senses.

We have also seen a car, how would you describe the driving model? Will it also be player-adjustable?

• Since we don’t consider driving to be a core pillar of the hunting experience and it really serves as a means to cover long distances first and foremost, the game will only feature one driving model that will not be player-adjustable. However, we put a lot of effort into tuning it as best we can so that players can thoroughly enjoy longer drives across our landscapes.

Is it possible to turn off the HUD?

• Players can switch off the HUD entirely for a new virtual hunting experience or HUD features one by one if they don’t need or want them.

You can use the Bullet Camera feature to see a detailed account of the hit and injury of the hunted animal. Where did you get this information? How did you choose information which is essential for hunters/players?

• We used our experience from making Cabela’s line of hunting games, where Bullet Camera was one of the main features. But, we wanted to upgrade this feature. That’s why we studied the anatomy of each animal and discussed this topic with professionals (hunters & rangers). We aim not to offer 100% simulation because it’s still not technically possible. We are presenting a complex system that will enrich the experience for all types of users when playing Way of the Hunter.

Will Way of the Hunter release on all platforms simultaneously?

• Yes, the game will release at the same time on August 16, 2022 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Will I be able to purchase the Elite Edition after release?

• Yes, Elite edition will remain available for purchase after release, albeit without the current discount.”

Will I be able to purchase the Hunter’s Pack after release?

• Hunter’s Pack will remain available after the game launches.

How does the Season Pass work?

• If you preorder the Elite Edition, you will get access the two upcoming DLC locations as soon as they release. Owners of the base game will be able to purchase each DLC separately.

When will the DLC locations be released?

• The first and the second DLC will be released within 12 months after the launch of the base game.

Which updates will be paid?

• We plan to release DLCs and free updates, both bringing new content, features, and fixes. Of course, players won’t be paying any money for regular (free) updates. We’ll tell you more about our plans soon.

Will the game feature cross-platform multiplayer?

• Sorry, no.

Will there be official mod support?

• Way of the Hunter will not offer support for mod creation through official tools.

Will the game support Xbox Cloud Gaming?

• There are currently no plans for releasing Way of the Hunter on additional platforms.

Will you be able to buy in-game weapons and equipment with real money?

• No, all in-game items will only be accessible via the in-game currency that players earn by selling harvested game meat.

Will all gear be available for purchase from the start of the game, or will the player need to unlock them?

• All items in the in-game store will be available for purchase for the in-game currency after you finish initial story/tutorial quests.

Will there be bows?

• The game will not feature bows at launch.

Will all standard edition pre-orders get Hunter’s Pack with the custom skins or only digital pre-orders?

• It’s limited to digital edition pre-orders.

Will the Elite Edition (which includes the Hunter’s Pack and the season pass) be available as a physical edition?

• If you’re interested in Elite Edition, the best way to secure the discount is to buy it digitally.

Season pass will be available as a separate purchase after release?

• Yes, we plan to offer a Season pass as a separate purchase after the release, and you’ll also be able to buy DLC content separately.