NEARstudios Sets Expectations for Hawthorn Release Date News

Heather Cerlan of NEARstudios says more work remains before Hawthorn is ready to reveal a release date and launch plans.

Hawthorn is a very special game. Former developers from Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog have teamed up to bring players a Sandbox RPG that supports co-op or solo experiences as they build their villages. The game also has personality-rich NPCs. It was one of the many games featured in the May 2026 Insider Gaming Showcase. Now, the studio’s co-founder is offering an update on the status of a potential release date for the anticipated nature-driven sandbox.

NEARstudios Founder Has an Update for Fans Waiting on Hawthorn

As part of the Insider Gaming Showcase, Cerlan was interviewed by our Executive Editor Mike Straw. She explained that fan response to the game and the launch of its Kickstarter campaign served as a eureka moment, proving the team was on to something players would actually be interested in.

She also explained that she’s happy this game could serve as a form of escapism for players who may want to escape the uncertainty and negativity of the current news cycle.

When asked about a potential launch date, Cerlan says that the early access date remains a moving target. Funding remains key, as it allows them to keep pushing the game’s limits further. When they are ready to announce a date, the community will know ASAP.

“For us, it’s a rolling target because we’re just looking to bring in little bits of funding wherever we can so we can keep pushing our early access date out because obviously the more time we have, the better we can make the offering to players as this kind of initial rollout,” she said. “We don’t have any dates to announce, but I’ll just say that we just keep nudging it out as we get a little bit more.

“A little more additional funding here and there, whether we get, like, I mean, we’ve been able to do this through obviously the Kickstarter, but we’ve had a few angel investors that have given us very small checks; we’re talking like $50K or something like that. Just little bits of cash here and there to keep things rolling. So it’s one of those things where we’ve got a few different things we’re looking at, different options that we’re assessing right now. Depending on what choice we make, that would determine when that date will come.”

Insider Gaming will continue to monitor the story and report any updates as more information becomes available. You can Wishlist it and check out the demo on Steam. To check out a comprehensive list on Steam of all the games featured at the Insider Gaming Showcase on May 28, click here.

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