Like This But ON THE MOON!

Dylan Jobe's Lightbox Interactive studio has been rumoured to be working on the "Warhawk in space" release for yonks now. But despite the countless threads of industry whispers, nobody has any confirmation the game actually exists.

Well, apart from SystemLink it seems. The blog cites a discussion with an unnamed Sony employee, and has etched out a number of details pertaining to the release of the anticipated multiplayer action title.

Firstly, Starhawk is a real game apparently. We've been using the name as a kind of "industry codename" for Jobe's next project for years, but there's never been any confirmation that Starhawk is a genuine product. SystemLink says it is. Furthermore, the site adds that the game will launch on physical media, rather than launching on the PSN a la Warhawk.

SystemLink notes that a digital release may be unlikely because of the amount of work Lightbox has put into Starhawk's visuals. The cartoony style will still be there, but the game "runs on a brand new engine that provides stunning visuals," claim the site.

As for the gameplay, it is essentially Warhawk in space. Series staples such as third-person shooting, jeeps, APCs and tanks will all return, with maps taking place on various planets and satellites. In addition to the multiplayer, Starhawk will apparently also boast a fully fleshed out single-player component.

Sony's planning to announce the title next month, which would remain consistent with the publisher's strategy last year. The idea of announcing games before E3 means they are given the chance to breathe outside of the media circus. We know Sony's planning to showcase some NGP titles next month too, so presumably they have a pre-E3 event planned. Whether it will go ahead with all the current PSN issues is an entirely different question.

A lot of SystemLink's report seems reasonable, though we're not sure how much faith you can put into it. Probably best to wait until next month and see what happens, rather than take everything at surface value.