Hunter: The Reckoning - Deathwish Unveiled as New Action RPG

Return to the World of Darkness#

NACON and developer Teyon officially unveiled Hunter: The Reckoning - Deathwish during the March 2026 Xbox Partner Preview. The game marks a long-awaited return to the iconic World of Darkness universe after more than 20 years since the last Hunter video game release.

Set in a dark, supernatural version of New York City, the title casts players as ordinary humans who have awakened to the hidden monsters lurking among us. As Hunters, you track and eliminate vampires, werewolves, witches, and other creatures of the night while blending into the unaware human population.

First-Person Action RPG Hybrid#

Hunter: The Reckoning - Deathwish combines first-person shooter mechanics with deep RPG progression. Players can customize their Hunter's appearance, merits, flaws, abilities, and loadouts as they hunt. The approach draws inspiration from immersive sims and choice-driven RPGs, aiming for something closer to Deus Ex or Prey rather than the hack-and-slash style of earlier Hunter games.

The original tabletop RPG's Creed system, which defines different Hunter philosophies and supernatural gifts, could influence build variety. While details on exact systems remain limited, the focus on meaningful progression beyond simple weapons suggests Teyon wants to capture the moral complexity and investigative roots of the source material alongside satisfying combat.

Teyon's Track Record#

Teyon earned strong praise for RoboCop: Rogue City, which delivered faithful adaptation, solid shooting, environmental storytelling, and a perfect balance of power fantasy with tension. The studio also handled Terminator: Resistance with respect for its license while making gameplay engaging.

That experience should serve Hunter well. In World of Darkness, players are not superhuman; they are everyday people fighting literal monsters. Teyon's ability to make players feel capable yet vulnerable in dystopian settings bodes well for delivering the gothic-punk atmosphere the universe demands.

From Old-School to Modern#

The previous Hunter: The Reckoning console games from the early 2000s were cooperative arcade-style action titles popular for couch co-op but limited in scope. Deathwish shifts to a single-player focused first-person experience in a semi-open world New York. Early speculation from the accidental Steam leak (which briefly replaced a RoboCop: Rogue City update with a playable Hunter build) hinted at investigative elements, dialogue choices, and deeper world interaction.

While co-op features are not yet confirmed, the tabletop roots and past games make some form of multiplayer support a possibility, though the current emphasis is on immersive single-player hunting.

Release Window and Platforms#

The game was briefly visible on Steam before the official reveal, sparking immediate buzz in World of Darkness communities. It is now officially listed with a planned release in Summer 2027 (Q3 2027) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. It will launch as an Xbox Play Anywhere title on Xbox platforms.

This positions Deathwish in a crowded but hungry World of Darkness space. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 launched in October 2025 after multiple delays, giving fans a fresh modern entry on the vampire side. Hunter offers the chance to experience the setting from the opposing perspective.

With Teyon's proven license-handling skills and the shift to a first-person action RPG format, Deathwish has strong potential to deliver the polished, atmospheric World of Darkness game many fans have waited for.

The bold genre pivot modernizes the franchise while respecting its tabletop origins. Whether it fully captures the moral gray areas and investigative depth of Hunter: The Reckoning remains to be seen, but early signs look promising.

Are you excited for this return to the World of Darkness as a first-person action RPG, or would you have preferred a different approach closer to the original co-op brawler style?