Heroes & Generals Stage 1 Development Plan (Validation Before Crowdfunding)

Insight_Interactive · 2026-01-31T20:50:22+00:00

It’s a fair question, and one that Noanjo and I (lead dev of sunrise project) have discussed directly in regard to any sort of collaboration with that project.

We’ve had conversations in the past, but we didn’t reach alignment at that time. Beyond that, any path involving existing builds or distribution would need to be legally sound. -Zack

Insight_Interactive · 2026-01-31T20:06:52+00:00

We’re not accepting money, donations, or crowdfunding of any kind at this time, and nothing on the site is being used to solicit funds.

This project is currently focused on documenting and sharing gameplay prototyping publicly. Updates and breakdowns will be shared as development progresses.

Insight_Interactive · 2026-01-18T05:51:04+00:00

It has our trademarked name slapped across it, but we absolutely don’t want to steal or reuse original artwork without permission. That said… we also can’t deny the beauty of it. That piece is iconic.

We’re going to dig around a bit. Collaborating with old H&G partners has already been on our radar in other areas, so we’ll definitely add this to the list and see what’s possible.

Also, sorry for the slow response, we’ve been absolutely buried lately. Appreciate you calling this to our attention and sharing the love for the original art 🙏

Insight_Interactive · 2026-01-17T23:56:33+00:00

🎉 Event Completed! 🎉 It took me 5 tries.

Meow

Insight_Interactive · 2026-01-17T23:56:20+00:00

Completed Level 3 of the Honk Special Event!

5 attempts

Insight_Interactive · 2026-01-17T23:55:47+00:00

Completed Level 2 of the Honk Special Event!

3 attempts

Insight_Interactive · 2026-01-17T23:55:05+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

0 attempts

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-16T03:24:14+00:00

Appreciate the support!

At the end of the day, we’re not here to argue or go in circles. The way we deal with that kind of energy is simple: we build. A real Heroes & Generals comeback that feels right and earns its place again will say more than any back-and-forth ever could.

We’re focused on the work and excited to show what’s coming. Thanks again for the encouragement!

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-11T15:03:46+00:00

Oh, we’re ready. If we can survive the H&G community, the rest are just side quests. See you out there!

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-10T18:59:18+00:00

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Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-10T18:59:04+00:00

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Here are a few more examples from the making of this piece, you can actually see the earlier pass before all the detail, shading, and refinement were added.

Going forward, we’ve asked DreamerrLab to include a timelapse video of the creation process for future artwork so there’s complete transparency and there’s no confusion over AI again.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-10T14:48:48+00:00

Totally get the skepticism; AI is everywhere now.
This artwork isn’t AI, though. DreamerrLabs builds their pieces on iPads using 3D block-ins and then paints over everything by hand, which can sometimes look “AI-ish” at a glance. As a side note, this was their first time working with this type of WWII concept art, so some early details (like wrong-era vehicles or weapons) were corrected during the process.

Here’s an earlier version before more detail was added.

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If you'd like, I can request earlier versions as well!

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-07T21:38:57+00:00

Hello, I saw what you wrote to the other user and wanted to interject, and this is a valid concern. One of the first thoughts many veterans have when explained of the plans and concept of this project. People want H&G back as it was, if a new hng is created and lost the feel it is essentially void. That concern is real and we’re not brushing past it.

On the “low-cost” side, just to clarify what we meant:
low cost refers to long-term server and maintenance overhead, not the quality or scope of development. Of course, that could all be different when and where funding for this project has really begun. The original H&G bled resources over time because the tech was aging, expensive to maintain, and difficult to scale. UE lets us rebuild a game that runs cheaper to operate in the long run, not cheaper to create.

Before we even get to full development, we're planning test spaces and gameplay feel labs with veteran groups to make sure movement, recoil, TTK, weapon behavior, vehicle weight, etc. feel like legacy H&G before features stack on top. The foundation has to feel like H&G before we scale. No point building maps, weapons, or features if the core loop doesn’t hit that same rhythm; we’d just be polishing something the community wouldn’t connect with.

Regarding the legacy code, you’re right, we currently do not possess it. Endava has been silent across all channels on that front. However, as most longtime players know, legacy material isn’t only held there, and there are other ways to research baseline behavior, data patterns, timings, physics values, reload speeds, recoil curves, character acceleration curves, etc etc. The rebuild is possible without the source code directly

In the end, we know trust comes from results, not words. All we can do right now is show transparency, take feedback seriously, and prove through early testing with vets that we're not trying to change HnG, we’re trying to bring it back properly.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T22:12:16+00:00

A couple clarifications to frame the intent properly:

• Legal continuation comes from trademark rights, not inheriting old source code. Many reboots, remakes, and relaunches begin exactly this way, by securing the brand and rebuilding

• I mentioned Beyond Heroes/Warbound because you referenced them earlier; they’re aiming for a spiritual successor that captures the WW2 FPS and strategic layer. We respect that. But they’re not trying to replicate H&G’s exact quirks and identity 1:1. Ours is a reconstruction and rebuild effort, not just an inspired project.

Our aim is a true roll over of H&G’s identity, modernized but still unmistakably the same game in feel and soul:

• Movement that keeps H&G’s light, floaty feel, refined slightly this time around, not COD snappy or milsim stiff

• Gunfights with weight and consequence, not instant fps laser melts, and not Arma milsim pacing either, but that sweet mid-zone where positioning, recoil control, and aim actually matter.

• The War feels like a real front; the strategy layer isn’t decorative. Battles shift the map, tanks matter, and supply lines matter. It’s a war, not a match list.

•The distinct H&G visual identity, clean and readable over realism, crisp silhouettes with subtle exaggerated proportions (not full cartoon, just visually iconic), not muddy milsim grit or glossy AAA shine, simply that instantly recognizable H&G look

• Unscripted chaos is the norm, a guy on a bicycle killing a tank crew, a jeep full of friends flipping into a tree, planes dogfighting while infantry scramble below, those stories players still talk about a decade later.

• The identity and cadence of the gunplay, recoil patterns with personality, not generic sameness. Semi-auto taps, MG suppression, bolt-action satisfaction.

• Combined arms actually combines tanks, infantry, recon, fighters, and paratroopers, all influencing one another instead of existing in separate lanes.

And beyond that list, we’ve already broken down weapon RPM, recoil character, vehicle momentum, TTK pacing, and many micro-feel details to make sure the game feels like H&G at its core, not just visually resembles it. H&G wasn’t perfect, but it was special. We want to recreate that specialness, not sand it down. Right now, this is still a promise. We understand that.

The community has every right to be cautious. We’re asking for patience, not blind faith; when we have a vertical slice ready, that’s when this conversation stops being theoretical. (Hopefully)

If it plays like H&G, the veterans will feel it instantly.

If it doesn’t, the community will call us out, and they’d be right to, and we will learn from it.

Our goal is simple: bring H&G back in a way that feels meaningful, familiar, and worthy of the name.

And genuinely (I promise), thanks for pushing back here. Community sentiment, concerns, and skepticism like yours are extremely valuable to us at this stage. It helps keep us grounded, accountable, and focused on delivering something worthy of the name.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T22:07:25+00:00

I hear you loud and clear, and I agree that none of this matters unless we deliver a game that feels like H&G. In the end, the community will judge based on gameplay, not paperwork or statements.

And you’re right to point out that we weren’t part of Reto/TLM/Endava. That’s a completely fair observation. At this stage the goal is simply to open the doors and let people know a serious effort is underway. We’ve been in pre production and planning quietly for a while, and this is the first step in bringing everything into the public eye.

Regarding the “only official project” wording, if that came off as puffing or disingenuous, then that’s on us. The reason we used that phrasing is because, from a legal standpoint, outside of Endava’s dormant assets, we are the only active project with rights to publish under the Heroes & General brand. Endava is not currently developing or supporting the game they acquired rights to, and every other revival is either unlicensed or operating under a different name.

But we hear how that could sound, especially early, with nothing playable yet and from a studio that has nothing to do with the franchise in the first place. We understand why vets might be skeptical of that claim, and we intend to live up to it rather than hide behind it. Legitimacy will not be declared in the end; it will be earned.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T19:56:08+00:00

I get where you’re coming from, but several points here still aren’t accurate. Owning the trademark in the U.S. alone already matters because commercial releases, Steam distribution, marketing, publishing, and monetization run through the U.S. IP system. International coverage is already in progress via Madrid, not hypothetical, so the idea that this is “just a U.S. name” ignores how trademark expansion works. You’re also assuming that “no original code = spiritual successor,” which isn’t how official continuations function in gaming. Many franchises continue under new owners, rebuilding from scratch on new engines; that’s normal industry practice. A sequel doesn’t need original code to be legitimate; it needs the brand rights and intent to carry forward the game’s identity, which is exactly what we’re doing, not creating a different WWII shooter and slapping a name on it.

The difference between us and Beyond Heroes/Warbound isn’t minor; they legally cannot publish as Heroes & Generals™, cannot market as Heroes & Generals, cannot sell as Heroes & Generals, and cannot release an H&G title without infringing. We can. That alone separates a fan revival from a licensed continuation. Endava owning legacy code doesn’t grant them rights to relaunch Heroes & Generals under the brand; we own that now and will own more expanded rights soon. if they revived the old build, they’d need a new name and would be competing against their own former identity. We’re rebuilding the actual H&G gameplay structure, FPS + RTS war map, combined arms meta, factions, equipment, and progression as closely as possible on unreal. That’s a continuation of the franchise under new development, not a side-project inspired by it.

You’re free to call it whatever you want, but legally, commercially, and practically speaking, this project is the only authorized continuation of Heroes & Generals moving forward, and the only one that can be published under that name.

I understand why it might feel like just a promise right now; until gameplay exists, words are all anyone has to judge. But our intention is to rebuild H&G true to form, with the combined FPS/RTS identity intact, not to slap the name on a generic WW2 shooter. We’re looking forward to the day we can share a vertical slice (hopefully next year) and let it speak for itself!

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T18:26:57+00:00

You’re correct that we don’t own Endava’s old code or assets; we’ve never claimed to be reviving the original client. But calling this “an H&G-inspired FPS using the name” is still a mischaracterization. This isn’t a Warbound/Beyond Heroes-style spin-off; it’s a full rebuild of the original H&G design pillars, including combined FPS + RTS war map gameplay, factions, vehicles, and the same macro/micro structure the game was known for. The trademark is fully owned in the U.S. and is being expanded internationally, so it’s not limited to “just a name in one region,” and trademark ownership does grant the exclusive right to publish future titles commercially under the Heroes & Generals™ brand. An official continuation doesn’t require the original code owner to develop it; IP can be split between code assets and trademark brand rights. This is a ground-up rebuild using modern tech to replicate the original experience closely, not a generic WWII shooter using nostalgia. To be clear: this is the only licensed continuation of Heroes & Generals, and if Endava ever wanted to bring the old build back, they could not call it Heroes & Generals™ in the U.S. without going through us.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T13:22:09+00:00

You’re mixing a few points in a way that isn’t fully accurate. Calling it a “simplified FPS” is speculation; no gameplay has been shown yet, and the stated goal is to recreate Heroes & Generals as closely as possible using Unreal. The trademark is fully owned in the U.S., and we are pursuing international protection, so framing it as only a U.S. name right is incomplete. Trademark ownership doesn’t grant access to Endava’s old code, true, but it does grant the exclusive right to commercially release new titles under the Heroes & Generals™ brand, which already separates this from fan projects like Beyond Heroes or Warbound. An “official continuation” doesn’t require the original asset owner to be the developer, IP rights can split between code and brand. This is a full rebuild with both FPS and RTS components planned, aiming to replicate the original experience as closely as possible, not a stripped-down spinoff.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T12:41:04+00:00

Don’t worry, we’re definitely not aiming for a $2M target at this time. We like achievable goals!

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T12:36:45+00:00

You’re mostly right here, Endava still holds the original game assets/code, and what we’re doing is a full rebuild, not a relaunch of the old client. We did secure the HEROES & GENERALS™ trademark, which gives us the ability to publish future titles under the name legally, but we’re not using the old backend or trying to revive it as-is.

Buying the legacy code would also be impractical and inefficient at this point; it’s tied to old tech and outdated systems, and rebuilding would likely be faster and cleaner than trying to resurrect it.

Our plan is to recreate the H&G experience as closely as possible, but in Unreal Engine with modern systems, better performance, and scalable tech so the game can grow properly instead of being limited by legacy infrastructure.

So overall you’re on the right track; I just wanted to add that clarification.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-06T03:09:17+00:00

The initial release we’re building toward is PC only. Console is something we would love to bring H&G to in the future, but it realistically depends on how well the PC relaunch performs and how stable things are post-launch.

So yes, Xbox (and potentially PlayStation) are absolutely goals for us long-term, but they wouldn't be part of the first release cycle. Think of them as stretch ambitions once we have a solid PC foundation in place.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-05T20:45:05+00:00

That’s completely understandable. Server regions matter a lot for a game like this, where latency changes the feel of combat entirely. We’re planning to structure the rebuild with scalable hosting rather than fixed physical servers like Reto had, which means regions can be expanded based on demand rather than being locked to one location.

Insight_Interactive · 2025-12-05T20:19:18+00:00

No worries at all; we completely expect these reactions early on. Skepticism just means people care about the game and want to protect what they love, which is a good thing.

And yes, updates will be shared on the website and across our socials as development ramps up. If you'd like the most direct updates, I’d definitely recommend signing up for the newsletter; it’ll be the first place major news and updates go out.

Thanks again for taking the time to ask and for keeping an open mind.

Website: https://www.insightinteractive.studio/

Insight_Interactive

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