Wild Hearts – New Monster Hunter-Like Game By EA And Koei Tecmo

Here’s a surprise co-operation between two big games publisher. EA and Koei Tecmo are working on Wild Hearts, a “kind of hunting game featuring unique crafting mechanics”.

Judging by the new trailer and screenshots, it’s pretty much a game like the Monster Hunter series, where players can hunt giant, grandiose monsters either solo or co-op.

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Development is headed by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force, the devs behind the many Musou games like the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series.

“With Wild Hearts, not only did we want to showcase the evolution, infusion and real threat caused by Kemono, but we also wanted to create a game where crafting was at the core of the experience, redefining what can be possible in a beast hunting game,” said Yosuke Hayashi, Executive Vice President Koei Tecmo.

This is published under the EA Originals label, previously only used for indie games.

“EA Originals is a label for those who dare to explore,” said Stuart Lang, Vice President, Global Brand, Electronic Arts. “It’s a home for studio partners – like Omega Force – forging new ways to play from bold creative visions, and for players who love to discover untold stories and unseen worlds.”

Wild Hearts is set in a fantasy take on feudal Japan called Azuma, now rampaged by the ferocious beasts, the Kemono. After surviving an attack from Deathstalker, you now are bearers of a life-sustaining tech and must restore balance over the region, by hunting these Kemono down.

Wild Hearts, not to be confused with Sayonara Wild Hearts, supports three-player online co-op and will have cross-play across all platforms. There will be voice-overs in English, Japanese, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

Koei Tecmo is no stranger to such joint ventures. This year’s Stranger Of Paradise Final Fantasy Origins saw the publisher partnering with Square Enix.

It will be interesting to see how another one of these Monster Hunter-like hunting games fares up- EA and Koei Tecmo are touting Wild Hearts as “the first AAA hunting game for a new generation”, referring to its next-gen only release the latest MonHun game only being on the Switch and PC.

The last big game to contest Capcom’s crown in this genre was Dauntless, which is still alive and kicking but not as headline-grabbing these days.

Wild Hearts is coming out surprisingly soon. It’s set for release on February 17, 2023 for the PS5, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Origin), and Xbox Series X|S.