If you were to put Stardew Valley and Skyrim into a pot and mix it up, I'd imagine that the video game soup you'd create would look an awful lot like Hawthorn – an adorable upcoming sandbox RPG from a group of ex-Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog devs.
Hawthorn is the debut game from indie studio NEARstudios, which is led by Heather Cerlan (who previously worked as a senior artist for Starfield and a texture artist on The Last of Us, amongst many other things) and Jason Richardson. Richardson was a gameplay designer for Mass Effect Andromeda and a systems designer on both Starfield and Fallout 76. What's more, Game Developer reports that Skyrim's lead designer, Bruce Nesmith, will also be helping out with Hawthorn.
Set in what looks like a picturesque fairytale-style setting called Windermere Valley, we'll be able to live out our lives as a little woodland creature alongside many fellow animal friends, who all have their own tales to share. Hawthorn will offer both solo and co-op play, and we can expect to fill our in-game lives with farming, fishing, and exploring the wilderness for resources. Charming woodland homes can be rebuilt and decorated to suit your vision – which gives it a touch of an Animal Crossing vibe, too – and you'll have to adapt to life as the seasons change.
The game's website says Hawthorn is "inspired by Victorian-era European fairytales and the spirit of 80s and 90s anthropomorphic animal adventure stories," and that vibe definitely comes through with what's been shown so far. For the time being, there's no release date for the sandbox RPG, but it's already available to wishlist on Steam.
In the meantime, be sure to check out our picks of more great games like Stardew Valley.
