Skyrim's lead designer is just part of the RPG royalty bringing this sandbox world filled with anthropomorphic animals to life

Skyrim and Stardew Valley collide with the world of Redwall in Hawthorn, a sandbox RPG from a team of experienced developers that just showed off new gameplay footage during the Future Games Show Spring Showcase.

Hawthorn is a sandbox RPG that can be played either solo or in co-op. It's inspired by Victorian-era European fairytales, and drops you into a beautiful, outsized world where you'll play as an anthropomorphic animal. Running around as an otter, mouse, or owl means that you might be just a little small for the world you inhabit, but that just offers some unique ways to interact with your surroundings.

• Keep an eye on Hawthorn's crowdfunding campaign

The team behind Hawthorn boasts some impressive experience, having worked at Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog on a dizzying list of famous RPGs. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Skyrim, Fallout, Starfield, Ultima Online and many more all feature on this list of resumés, and between that and the charming setting, it's looking like one to keep an eye on.

Of course, it's still early days, and while developer NEARstudios is proud of its early feedback, there's a long way to go. So far, self-funding has ensured that Hawthorn's unique nature can be preserved, but the team is preparing to open the game up to a Kickstarter campaign, so be sure to keep an eye out for that launch to help bring the game to life.

If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.