New Game Perfectly Blends Skyrim, Hogwarts Legacy and Stardew Valley

A new sandbox RPG is coming to early access soon, and it’s shaping up to be something very special for the cosy gaming community.

Made by former developers who have worked on Skyrim, The Last Of Us and Dragon Age, Hawthorn is a gorgeous realm of anthropomorphic animals and fairy creatures that encourages players to slow down and create something meaningful.

The lead designer of Skyrim, Bruce Nesmith, is also coming out of retirement to lend his expertise to Hawthorn.

Inspired by awesome fantasy adventure stories like Redwall, Lord of the Rings, Mouse Guard, Rats of NIMH and Harry Potter, Hawthorn is shaping up to be something special.

Check out the first look here!

The Steam description reads: “Once upon a time, woodland creatures built a trading post in forgotten Windermere Valley, but now it is the haunt of varmints, fairy lights, and mysterious rumors about why this village was abandoned. To you, however, this is a hope for a new life.”

In Hawthorn, players will be able to build their own peaceful village, where you’ll recruit animal friends and create a community inside a magical procedurally generated world filled with charming animals.

Players can enjoy the journey solo or cooperate with friends, creating shared villages and discovering the fantasy world at their own pace.

As you explore the surrounding wilderness for resources and treasure, you’ll discover local legend and unique challenges as the seasons and weather change.

For fans of cozy life simulations and open sandbox games, Hawthorn could become a new favorite.

The game build of Hawthorn does not include generative AI content.

However, the Steam page says “due to lack of resources and funding, early marketing materials are in use that were created with a mix of generative AI and human art.”

The studio then clarifies Hawthorn will not ship with generative AI content.

It’s a stacked development team at NEARStudios. Not only have the developers worked on Skyrim, The Last Of Us and Dragon Age, it also hires developers from Mass Effect, Ultima Online, League of Legends, and Fallout.

All the team is focused on making immersive co-op games that “bring people together”.