The Hunter γ (ハンターγ,hantā gamma?) (development code: "MA-124")[1] model of Hunter was developed by Umbrella Europe as part of a reinvestigation into amphibian-based B.O.W.s, which failed ten years earlier with Dr. Marcus' Lurker.[2] It was nicknamed the "Frogger" by its development team.[1]
History[]
The Hunter γ was developed based on information retrieved from the American branch's Hunter α model. Contrary to the American design method, the Hunter γ involved human DNA being bonded with a fertilized amphibian egg with the t-Virus.[3][excerpt 1] Though this method worked, the resulting creatures had several flaws that made them impractical for battlefield use, such as a sensitivity to heat and their vulnerable mandibles being exposed when they attacked a target.
In 1998, Umbrella ordered the destruction of numerous batches of this variant due to its perceived uselessness as a weapon. One researcher who had grown emotionally attached to the hunters under his care defied this order, and bribed a sewer manager in Raccoon City to allow him and some of his associates to move the hunters there to continue training and evaluation. He hoped to prove their worth and bargain with Umbrella's European branch to continue development. Though they were docile and friendly to the researcher and his associates, they effortlessly and violently killed at least two random sewer workers that happened to stumble upon them. These hunters were still in the sewer during the Raccoon City Destruction Incident.
A clawless version of the "γ" was also being stored in the water treatment facility underneath Raccoon University at the same time. Quickly breaking out of their storage capsules also on October 1, these Hunters reacted well to the damp, subterranean environment and the pools of water in the plant.
While being considered improper for a B.O.W. due to the conditions necessary for survival, Umbrella nonetheless continued to sell the "γ" model as late as 2002, where a number were sold into the hands of Javier Hidalgo.
Additionally by May 2002 there was at least one other subspecies of Gamma created, albeit accidentally. At Umbrella's Atlantic waste disposal facility a preference by management for accelerating research over worker safety or facility maintenance resulted in the creation of the Glimmer variety of Hunter which escaped into the flooded lower levels of the facility. Named for their luminous red eyes, these creatures gained the ability to vomit powerful acid on their opponents at the cost of being sensitive to light. This subspecies was subsequently rendered extinct when the facility was destroyed in September 2002.[6]