Hunt: Showdown 1896 News

Hunters,

Last week we shared that we had been making adjustments to matchmaking, and today we want to talk more about what those changes were and what our plans will be moving forward.

We saw that high ping players were presenting as an issue for the community regularly, and as a result we began collecting and analyzing player data around ping during matchmaking. Our goal was to investigate potential solutions, and this data allowed us to work on identifying an ideal cutoff point for "high ping" on a per-region basis. This means that we have been able to experiment with refining the matchmaking experience to ensure fairer connections for all players.

To begin with, we investigated region locking for various servers, but we found the system too easy to circumvent using a VPN.

Two weeks ago, we tried introducing a new system that would separate any players with a ping above a certain defined threshold from the rest. Here’s how the high ping separation works:

• When matchmaking begins, teams are evaluated based on the highest ping player on the team. If that highest ping player crosses the threshold, the entire team is considered "high ping."
  
  
• High ping teams are then placed in a separate matchmaking pool, where they will be matched against other high ping teams.
  
  
• Normal ping players continue to match in the standard player pool, improving connection quality across those matches.
  
  
• If a high ping player is matchmaking solo or with randoms, they will also be sorted into the high ping pool.
  

What counts as "high ping" isn’t set in stone right now. We are experimenting with a starting threshold of 125 ping, but we will be testing slight shifts and variations as we gather more region-specific data. Based on what we’ve seen so far, we expect the final cutoff to sit somewhere between 100 and 150 ping, depending on the region.

Although these changes are proving effective so far, there are still improvements to be made and we plan to continue tweaking the system, monitoring results, and refining matchmaking overall. With that in mind, we have a few changes in the pipeline that we will be trialing:

• Deactivating this matchmaking separation in Russian and South American servers—we have seen that due to location, infrastructure, or other reasons, some players can’t achieve better ping, so we will try creating safe space regions for those unable to improve.
  
  
• Raising the initial high ping threshold from 125 to 140 as a pure experiment—this will help us better understand how small adjustments to the threshold impact matchmaking quality, player distribution, and queue times across different regions.
  

Making these improvements means you may notice changes to your matchmaking experience over the coming weeks, but rest assured that these fluctuations are intentional and with good cause.

It’s also important to keep in mind that these changes will have the most impact during periods where active player count is at its peak. Although the system may make wait times for some players slightly longer at the moment, we will see more improvements when many players return for the next Event.

Any issues that may arise as we continue to test and tweak the system will be closely monitored and resolved quickly as we fine tune performance. As always, we appreciate your patience and hope that the new high ping separation system will improve the overall Hunt experience for everyone.

Thank you,

Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Team

The sprawling, eerie lore of Hunt: Showdown 1896 is something we hold near and dear to our larvae-riddled hearts, and we want to assure you that it will not be abandoned. As a part of the greater goal of making past content available to our players again, the first step has been focused on returning all legacy lore to the “Mythos” section of our website. You may have already noticed that the original Book of Monsters has been added, filed under “Corrupted Monsters.”

Check out Mythos on our website.

Today we are also excited to bring you a new category of lore: Shocking Events, allowing you to relive every twist and turn of past Event narratives from the Tide trilogy onward via the original texts and, where applicable, the audio recordings that accompanied them.

Oh, to be a fly on the Corrupted walls of the bayou’s darkest corners...

To sit undetected on the upper deck of the Delphine as its presence in the Land of the Dead worked to corrode the minds—and bodies—of all who were unfortunate enough to be on board.

To witness the moment The Kid and The Rat returned as Drowned, their new minds heavy with secrets and rot.

To watch in fascinated horror as a man sick with greed found out what happens if you stuff Bounty Tokens down a human’s throat and toss them down an oil well.

Your support means the world to us, Hunters, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to work on making all the Library content available again.

So head over to Mythos and relive the legacy lore of Hunt. Become the fly on the wall and bear witness to the stories which helped to make Hunt what it is...if you dare. Do the stories told here represent the whole truth? Have they been embellished, or twisted to leave out key elements? Are they the testimonies of sound minds, or the ramblings of folks gone mad? While the answers may be unclear, one thing is for certain:

To stare into the face of Corruption is to open your mind to its workings.

Hunters,

We rely on your feedback with every update, and the main way we take action on changes based on community response, is through feedback submitted to us via our surveys. A big thanks to those of you that have participated in surveys so far, and for those yet to take part, we encourage you to take the opportunity in future.

Many of you have requested that we discuss the results of those surveys, so today we want to go over the responses that you shared after Update 2.2.

Let’s dive into some of our key findings and the actions we are taking in response to your feedback.

[h2]Future Development Survey[/h2]

We conducted a survey that focused on future developments, and the main message we took from your response was the need to focus on performance and bugs.
While some changes were already in the pipeline, survey results showed an overwhelming priority for UI improvements and bug fixing, so this has become our focus for throughout 2025.



[h2]Performance[/h2]

As you can see in the graph below, there was an increase in the game’s performance and how it ran from the community’s point of view. We are pleased to see a positive trend here, but we have tons more coming down the line this year to keep pushing performance forward.



[h2]Gameplay[/h2]

Our team put a lot of effort into this update, and we were pleased to see that many of the gameplay additions were well-received. Here are some of the results.
First up is all about the circus compound, as well as the new items in and around it. Overall the compound, the possible locations, Grunts, and the activities all scored well, and we will keep this in mind for future Events.





For the Dark Sight Boost changes, we were pleased to see that the majority of you were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with these changes.



[h2]Weekly Challenges[/h2]

In Update 2.2, we introduced some new Weekly Challenges for the Event, and the results showed that some players felt frustrated with how they influenced weapon usage, sometimes leading to an unbalanced meta for extended periods as well as feeling repetitive.



In Update 2.3, we have announced that we will be introducing a randomized set of Weekly Challenges for each player. With this change, we hope to encourage more diverse weapon choices in matches as players tackle a variety of different challenges.

[h2]Event Weapons [/h2]

When we asked your opinions on Event weapons, we saw that different variations of the same weapon had varying results.

In the graphs below you can see community preferences, and some of the results showed that some of the 2.2 Event weapons did not have the impact we hoped for.



While players liked the idea of weapons being obtainable in a Mission, we also recognize that the Shredder didn’t meet player expectations for balance. Both the Fragblade and the homing mechanic of the regular Sawblades were two major pain points from the community, and we agree with this.

We released a mid-Event balance change to the Shredder, and while this improved some aspects of gameplay, it failed to address the primary concern of our players, and the increased cost resulted in players seeking out the Shredder less overall. You can see this demonstrated in the graphs below.







[h2]Event Traits[/h2]

The Trick Shooter Troupe saw the highest positive reaction, while The Mystic Troupe saw the lowest.



The Mystic Traits were perceived as weaker and more situational compared to the Traits provided in other Troupes. We have taken note of this, and will be adjusting these Traits to deliver a better player experience for upcoming Events.





[h2]Kill Trade Experiences[/h2]

We recently discussed changes to kill trade windows that were implemented late last year, and our telemetry data showed an overall decrease in trades. We wanted to verify if this aligned with player perception, so we polled you during the 2.2 Event survey. It was encouraging to see that the results confirmed players noticed this reduction.



We are continuing to monitor kill trades and windows as we refine key elements of gameplay, and we may include this question again in future surveys.

[h2]Closing Thoughts[/h2]

We deeply appreciate your participation in our surveys, and the feedback you share plays a crucial role in shaping future updates. We are committed to making meaningful improvements based on what we learn from the community, and we will share more results with you in the future. Thank you for being part of our journey.

See you in the bayou, Hunters!

The Rise Up Dead Man Anniversary Collection by Port Sulphur Band is now available on Steam ! 🎶

Seven years, seven versions of Hunt’s most legendary track. From the iconic Humming Theme to the brand new Bones and Bounties version, experience Rise Up Dead Man like never before.

Get it now:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3548900/Hunt_Showdown_1896__Port_Sulphur_Band__Rise_Up_Dead_Man_Anniversary_Collection/

Get 15% off on our new release, as well as the entire Port Sulphur Band Collection using the bundle here:

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/50739/Hunt_Showdown_1896__Soundtrack_Collection/

Hunters,

Tomorrow we’re celebrating our 7th anniversary! To start, we want to thank you all for being on this incredible journey with us. Through all the ups and downs, we are extremely grateful to have a community that cares so deeply about Hunt. Seven years down, and we can’t wait for many more, bringing you face-to-face with untold horrors in the backwaters of Louisiana and Colorado.

We will be celebrating this momentous occasion with some giveaways, anniversary sales, news from Port Sulphur Band, and more! We even have some interesting Hunt factoids to share.

DID YOU KNOW:

Ever wondered how many Hunters have been kicked to death by a horse? Us too. So, in the spirit of seven years of Hunt, here are some interesting stats you guys have racked up since Hunt: Showdown 1896 began:

• 1,010 Hunters have been delivered their mortal blow by a horse
  
  
• 33,569 Hunters have died thanks to Dog Cages
  
  
• 94,429,355 total Targets have been ended by Hunters
  
  
• 16,527,398,805 total monsters have been slain
  

Hunt Partner Showcase

We’re showcasing some of the greatest clips from our Partners - because Hunt wouldn’t be the same without them!

Many of our Hunt Partners have been with us for years, with some by our side from the very beginning. To celebrate their contribution to the project, we have created a video recapping their evolution from Rookie to Veteran, and the many years through which we have grown together.

Watch our Partner Showcase | 7 Years of Hunt:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

‘Rise Up Dead Man’ Anniversary Collection

Our beloved Port Sulphur Band are also excited to be involved in the anniversary celebrations as they release the Rise Up Dead Man Anniversary Collection!

Available to stream on Spotify starting February 23st and heading to Steam for purchase on February 27th, this special collection features seven versions of the iconic Hunt track “Rise Up Dead Man” to celebrate seven years of Hunt. It includes a range of variations, from the original Hunt “Humming Theme” battle anthem to a never-before-heard slowed down “Bones and Bounties” version.

As of last year, this legendary track has amassed more than 10 million streams across all platforms.

Find out more about Rise Up Dead Man Anniversary Collection on Spotify: Spotify – Rise up Dead Man Anniversary Collection

Let the gunshots ring!


The History of Hunt: Showdown

The game began its journey on February 22nd, 2018, as we launched into Early Access on Steam and the Hunt: Showdown we know, and love today was born.

Over the years, we have introduced new weapons, maps, and signature in-game Events, from our very first Halloween Event in 2020 to our most recent collaboration for Post Malone’s Murder Circus. Events like Blood and Ice, Light the Shadow, and the Moon trilogy introduced new challenges, evolving Hunters, and even environmental changes. Then in 2021, DeSalle arrived and expanded the bayou with vertical map design that quickly became a community favorite. There is almost too much to look back on!

The past year has been our most monumental yet, with Mammon’s Gulch, the CRYENGINE 5.11 integration, and the launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896. Now, we look to the future as we roll out a new initiative in 2025 that looks to stabilize performance, improve gameplay features, and more.

Anniversary Sales:

From February 21st to March 3rd, we're celebrating Hunt’s anniversary in the Blood Bond Store with exclusive discounts, special Bundles, and daily deals!

Throughout the celebration, up to six exciting Bundles will be available in the store, alongside various discounts on all partner Skins.

Each day, you can expect a massive 50% discount on a featured item, a special 48 Blood Bond offer, and a rotating selection of ~15 discounted items ranging from 20% to 40% off (refreshes at 07:00 CET).


Newsletter Giveaway:

If you haven't signed up for our player newsletter, then now is the time. We are giving away anniversary celebration Hunt Dollars to all subscribers until Monday 24th February.

Player newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive giveaways and content, as well as all of our news and updates direct to your inbox. Join before Monday 24th to receive your anniversary bonus.

You can subscribe today at the bottom of the Hunt page here by entering your email address.

To conclude, we are so grateful for our seven-year journey together and we are looking proudly into the future of Hunt. Rest assured—the road ahead is long and full of new adventures.


- Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team