Hood: Outlaws & Legends - What We Know So Far

With the upcoming Hood: Outlaws & Legends, developer Sumo Newcastle has said it wants to go back to basics, portraying legendary hero Robin Hood in a more Game of Thrones style. 

"If you go back to the earliest stories, Robin Hood was a cruel outlaw who stole and killed in cold blood and without remorse," studio head Owen O'Brien said in a PlayStation blog post. "It is only much later that he becomes more altruistic, gentrified and heroic."

O'Brien felt that the idea that there wasn't a definitive Robin Hood seemed like a good basis for a multiplayer heist game. In Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Hood is a symbol, not a single person, fighting an oppressive regime — but, when the most recent iteration dies, there is no clear successor to the mantle of Robin Hood. Basically, Sumo Newcastle is going for what O'Brien calls a "dark and brutal re-imagining of the traditional legend."

Hood: Outlaws & Legends was first revealed in a State of Play video from Sony, but more information about it was given at Dec. 10's The Game Awards 2020. Here's what you need to know about the coming game.

On Dec. 10, The Game Awards broadcast featured a release date trailer for Hood: Outlaws & Legends. The title now has an official launch date of May 10, 2021. However, those who preorder the game can get early access a full three days before this, on May 7. Those who preorder will also receive exclusive bonuses. 

The game, which had a closed beta in the fall, is now open for preorders. The standard version of the game costs $29.99 and the Year 1 edition, which includes the first year's Battle Pass, costs $49.99. 

According to the Epic Games listing for Hood, buyers can get the Forest Lords cosmetic pack if they pull the trigger now. This will get them four outfits and four weapons skins, one for each character (Hood the Ranger, Marianne the Hunter, John Nailer the Brawler, and Tooke the Mystic) in the game. 

Viewers definitely get a sense of the violence and gore that will appear in Hood: Outlaws & Legends through the latest trailer aired during The Game Awards. Some commenters on YouTube are comparing the look of the game to Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, and people also want to know more about the evocative music that makes up the background sound. After the original reveal trailer was released, the Hood: Outlaws & Legends Twitter account provided information and links to the music it used, so perhaps it will do so again. 

The original reveal trailer introduced the look and feel of the game, as well as some of the characters. However, it didn't offer much in the way of gameplay or details. On Dec. 3, publisher Focus Home Interactive also uploaded four Character Stories videos to give players more details about the main outlaws they'll see in the game. 

Hood: Outlaws & Legends is scheduled to be released on all current and next-generation systems, as was the case for most of Focus Home Interactive's previous releases. On PCs, players will be able to get the title through Steam or in the Epic Games Store. Gamers will also be able buy it for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, plus Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. All preorder bonuses appear to be the same for each version of the game.

However, neither the developer nor publisher has said yet whether or not cross-platform play will be available on this title. There are some other aspects of this game that fans would probably like to know as well regarding performance and compatibility, given its universal launch. With a release date inching ever closer, those details will probably be made available in the very near future.