Space Western Starhawk Is PS3 Exclusive

Lightbox Interactive and Sony's Santa Monica studio announced today that they're collaborating on a third-person shooter called Starhawk. Starhawk brings large-scale single-player and multiplayer combat to the far reaches of space.

Developer Lightbox Interactive was formed in 2009 by former members of Incognito Entertainment. Incognito's last game was a multiplayer-only PS3 exclusive called Warhawk. If you haven't already guessed from the similiarity in names, Starhawk is a spiritual successor to Warhawk.

Starhawk is set in the distant future. A human colony known as the Rifters battles with a group of mutated humans called the Outcast. They're fighting for control over Rift Energy, a valuable resource that actually caused the Outcast's disfigurement. Caught in the middle of this conflict is Starhawk protagonist Emmett Graves, a gun-for-hire who was partially mutated by Rift Energy and doesn't fit in with either faction.

While you can fight on foot in Starhawk, battles are much grander than mere infantry clashes. The game also sports an extensive selection of air and land vehicles. Players can deploy buildings and vehicles with a press of a button to turn the tide of the battle.

In addition to the single-player campaign, Starhawk also features several multiplayer modes. Up to 32 players can battle it out in competitive matches online. Co-op fans can team up with three friends online to fend off waves of enemies. Both co-op and competitive multiplayer support split-screen play.

Starhawk also boasts a number of features to keep the player community connected. Tournaments, leaderboards, and clan support are all included. An Android app will let you keep tabs on your friends, clanmates and statistics when you're out of the game.

Sony hopes to release Starhawk in 2012. The debut trailer is below.