Gangs of Sherwood: Everything We Know

Robin Hood and the Merry Men will be making a return to the world of gaming in an all-new action-packed four-player co-op journey titled Gangs of Sherwood. As one of four heroes of Sherwood Forest, players will be invited to rally forth and plunder the riches bestowed upon the Sheriff of Nottingham. In other words, it's a reimagining of the iconic English folklore and its tapestry of tales.

As it stands, Appeal Studios hasn't revealed a definite release date for the game. That said, the team has supplied a substantial amount of details since bringing it to light at NACON Connect 2022. For the sake of keeping it compact, though, here's everything you need to know about it. Gangs of Sherwood: what is it, and what can we expect from the Merry Men in this steampunk-themed adventure?

What Is Gangs of Sherwood?

Gangs of Sherwood is an upcoming third-person co-op game by Appeal Studios. Its premise, much like the folklore, follows the rags-to-riches tale of Robin Hood and the Merry Men—a band of outlaws who steal from the rich in a bid to aid the poor. The video game adaptation, however, will add a steampunk aesthetic to the mix, and will in turn incorporate elemental magic. Oh, and not to mention Philosopher's Stones—artefacts that allow the enemies of Nottingham to possess mind-boggling abilities.

The good news is, Gangs of Sherwood will be available to play either alone or with up to three other outlaws in its four-player campaign. As either Robin, Marian, Friar Tuck, or Little John, you will have the opportunity to develop an iron reputation and inspire the people of Nottingham to form a rebellion. Along the way, however, you will need to whittle down the hierarchy and sift through armies of tainted soldiers. Fortunately for you, you have Robin Hood at your side, and not to mention the support of an entire nation disemboweled by the hand of greed.

Story

Going by the blurb, Gangs of Sherwood will transport you to a dystopian future—a world in which Sherwood Forest and its surrounding boroughs are under the thumb of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his entire army of enhanced soldiers. Opressed, and on the verge of collapse, the citizens of Nottingham long for Robin Hood and the Merry Men to swoop in and turn the tide against the puppeteers that tug the strings.

“Through the powers of the Philosopher's Stones, the armies of the Sheriff of Nottingham are now stronger than ever, and the people of England have never been so oppressed,” the description adds. “Play as Robin, Marian, Friar Tuck or Little John, four heroes with unique, fully customizable gameplay styles, and set out in search of riches to plunder so you can give them to the poor.”

Gameplay

From what we've already caught at the NACON Connect events in both 2022 and 2023, Gangs of Sherwood will base the bulk of its gameplay around epic hack-and-slash battles and high-powered combos reminiscent of Devil May Cry and Marvel's Avengers. As either of the four playable heroes, you will have access to a specialized skill set, each containing unique abilities and moves. It'll be your role, in short, to work as a team and thread your abilities together to conjure the best possible winning strategies, and then execute them accordingly.

“Land more and more impressive combos and cooperate with the other members of your team to achieve ultra-satisfying combos,” the Steam description adds. “Meet up with your friends in your hideout and determine the best strategy to adopt before setting off on missions, then put it to the test on the field of battle.”

“Improve your reputation by saving innocent lives and giving your loot to the people in order to unlock new upgrades and even more devastating combos,” the description continues. “Spend your remaining gold with merchants to upgrade your equipment and customize your skills to match your combat style.”

Development

Appeal Studios, a firm that now operates under the wing of THQ Nordic, first announced its plans to bring Robin Hood back to the spotlight during the NACON Connect event in March 2022. Since then, the game has received not one, but several trailers and in-depth previews, with the latest being in the form of an exclusive gameplay trailer at NACON Connect 2023.

It hasn't been set in stone yet, but the fact of the matter is, if all goes according to plan, then Gangs of Sherwood should, in theory, launch in Fall 2023 on all major platforms. In short, this means it won't be available on Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

Trailer

As luck would have it, Appeal Studios did in fact release a trailer of Gangs of Sherwood back in 2022. And not just the one, but a further trailer outlining the gameplay features and setting. Need we say more? You can catch the initial announcement preview in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

According to Appeal Studios, Gangs of Sherwood will be arriving on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam as early as Fall 2023. This was confirmed during the latest episode of NACON Connect, which aired back in March 2023. It was also mentioned at the time that, contrary to popular belief, the game wouldn't be coming to ex-gen consoles.

Any special editions stowed away in the pipeline? From the looks of it, no. That said, we're still a few months away from its launch window, so it's best to hang fire until Q3 2023 to see whether or not Appeal Studios bring anything to the table.

Has Gangs of Sherwood piqued your interest? If so, then you'll definitely want to consider checking in with the official social feed for more updates here. Should anything major pop up ahead of its launch, we'll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Gangs of Sherwood when it drops? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.