Call of the Wild: The Angler lets you fish with friends in an open world

From the team behind theHunter: Call of the Wild

Expansive Worlds is building upon its successful hunting sim theHunter: Call of the Wild with a new open-world fishing game later this year, and while solitude can really fit the serene side of this hobby, sometimes, it’s just plain better with friends. In the upcoming PC and console game Call of the Wild: The Angler, you’ll be able to fish with 11 other players in online co-op, which sounds all sorts of cozy. Who’s the Jeremy Wade of your group?

“Call of the Wild: The Angler represents a new vision from our team that goes beyond what you’d expect from a fishing game in a lot of fun ways,” said game director said Paul Rustchynsky. “Whether you love the thrill of the sport or the quiet joy of exploring the outdoors, this is an experience that’s great to enjoy on your own or shared with friends.”

The game has customizable reels, lines, floats, hooks, lures, and bait, according to the developers, so you can build out a collection of gear and show off your toys, if that’s your style. Or you can be quietly judgy. Aside from hiking and boating, there will be off-road-vehicle traversal, and the fishing gameplay is described as “engaging” yet “accessible.”

One more confirmation: online co-op is drop-in, drop-out, which is ideal.

Coming to PC and consoles in 2022

Expansive Worlds and Avalanche Studios Group haven’t said which consoles they’re supporting with Call of the Wild: The Angler, but theHunter: Call of the Wild is on PlayStation and Xbox — it’s actually a part of Game Pass right now too, if you’re curious. In terms of PC platforms, though, Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store are a lock.

For more context on theHunter, one Steam user reviewer summed it up as their daily unwinder. “The slower more methodical approach this game requires takes me away from a stressful, fast lane style of life. I find, no matter how my day has been, that getting on this game tends to bring me back down and mellow me out.” I’m expecting a similar vibe.

As someone who has thought about getting theHunter on sale, I’m intrigued. Fishing is more my speed — it’s one of my favorite “Sure, why not!” activities in games — and I’d be into a polished open-world experience like this with multiplayer. There’s no shortage of fishing video games out there, but they can be… dicey. They might look good at a glance until you dive a bit deeper with some random guy’s YouTube footage and decide to bail.

The developers of Call of the Wild: The Angler will have more to share on June 22 during a Twitch stream Q&A starting at 7:00 a.m. Pacific. Bright and early, as is the way.

Jordan Devore

Jordan is a founding member of Destructoid and poster of seemingly random pictures. They are anything but random.