Where you steam from the rich, in space, but only pop-culture based merch and loot. SEGA and developer Creative Assembly (Total War, Alien: Isolation) are aware that creating a new shooter is jumping into "the most competitive genre in gaming", by HYENAS definitely looks and sounds very cool. A team-based snatch-and-grab, and then escape, out in space with some zero-g action thrown in.

Here's the announcement trailer.

In HYENAS, the world is broken… literally. The billionaires have finally made it to Mars, leaving Earth and those tax bills far behind. The zero-gravity tech that powered their journey has shattered our planet, abandoning us in a drifting slum called the ‘Taint’. The only thing the rich care for is rare Merch, pop culture swag from the lives we left behind which they loot from the rubble to furnish their Martian mansions.

Time for us to steal it back. Lumbering spaceship shopping malls, known as Plunderships, are plump with nostalgic booty stolen from Earth’s remains and packed with the sort of hired thugs, alarm systems and armed drones only the hyper-rich can afford. Assemble your crew of Hyenas from a ragtag cast of uniquely skilled and armed criminal misfits to get in, get the Merch and get the hell out. 

It’s space piracy smash and grab, with your team of three fighting against four other crews to nab the spiciest haul and grab the getaway. You’ll need both guns and guile; each Plundership is a sandbox playground of interlocking systems creating endless opportunities for slick teams to exploit the environment, security networks, hired goons and competing crews to gain an edge.

And when it all kicks off, blisteringly quick movement and lethal combat combine in hazardous, and often switchable, zero-G zones, providing dramatic opportunities for you to master your environment to trap and eliminate other crews.

The loot in question will apparently include lots of classic like SEGA Mega Drives and even PEZ dispensers. Because "yesterday's pop culture collectibles are priceless artefacts in a post-Earth age".

And speaking of loot, SEGA has made it clear up front that HYENA "won’t include pay-to-win mechanics".

It certainly sounds ambitious, especially with five teams of three going at it, but the art-style and setting is very cool. The big unknown is seeing if Creative Assembly can bring some of that grand strategy and sci-fi horror magic to the very competitive, competitive shooter space. We know we’ve got something interesting on our hands, but we also know the odds are stacked against us,” said Executive Producer, David Nicholson. “To take on the biggest games in the industry, we need to hear what players think, right up front and early," xecutive Producer, David Nicholson says. "If you’re in, we want to take you along for the ride. That’s why after today’s announcement, we’re also launching into the first of our public Alpha tests.”

You can sign up to jump in early, though the closed alpha test on PC will only be open for the US and EU regions. No Australia.

HYENAS is currently in development for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, with a planned 2023 release.