Hawken launching free-to-play this December

Hawken, that badass mech-based shooter from the indie studio Adhesive Games, will launch as a free-to-play web-based title on December 12, 2012, under the publisher Meteor Entertainment. Closed-beta registration is currently taking place at PlayHawken.com, and if you happen to have three other people to sign up with you, you'll be able to reserve a spot.

Hawken has been in development by a skeleton team for over 18 months, and the last we heard about it was late last year. The game takes place on a once colonized, now post-apocalyptic world, and has such jaw-dropping visuals, especially for a free-to-play web title, the team feels it could cause a stir among the console gamers. It should also be noted the game is utilizing the Unreal Engine 3, so high-end PCs can enjoy the game at 60 frames-per-second, while older ones will have to play at 30 frames-per-second.

“There hasn’t been a good robot game in a while and nothing that looks like what we’re trying to do, which is more like Call of Duty multiplayer,” Adhesive co-founder Khang Le said to GamesBeat. The action of Hawken will be fast-paced, session-based matches, akin to what League of Legends offers in its 15-30 minute games. 

By adopting the free-to-play model, Adhesive Games will make money through microtransactions, or the purchasing of items for in-game use with real world currency; i.e., extra armor, gear, weapons, etc. It is said that there will be a variety of mech types, modes and maps on Hawken's release, though Le said the game will be treated like a service for a number of years. 

For more on Hawken, check out our interview with Adhesive Games' co-founder and animator Chris Lalli. 

[GamesBeat] Meteor Games to Publish High-End Online Game Hawken in December (Exclusive)