Paladins: Champions of the Realm Getting an Official Release Next Week

For a while now, Hi-Rez Studios' team-based shooter Paladins: Champions of the Realm has been gaining traction on the competitive front, with its many modes and playable champions. That said, many fans have been wondering when the game would be leaving "beta" and getting an official release. Luckily, it looks like that day is finally coming.

In a new PlayStation Blog post, Paladins community lead Alyssa Huskey confirmed that the multiplayer hit will finally be getting an official release on May 8. This will be for all platforms, including Xbox One and PC, even though the post talks about the PlayStation 4 version.

"We'll be celebrating our official launch all month with a ton of fun in-game events to thank our beta players (over 25 million and counting!). It was with your help and feedback that we've been able to make Paladins what it is today," said Huskey.

"We're saying thanks by giving free Crystals to anyone who has taken part in our beta test! Just log in during our Paladins Launch Celebration between May 8 and May 31 to get 200 Crystals (MSRP $5 USD) instantly. You can still become eligible for the giveaway by signing in to Paladins before May 8." Again, this is for all versions of the game, so you'll be rewarded no matter what platform you prefer.

In addition, all of the game's champions will be available to players between now and May 7, so you can see what kind of range they have to offer. "Whether you want to be a stealthy assassin, a monk who ascended to the stars, or a living rock guy, there's a Champion for you (and we add more Champions to the Realm all the time)." (For the record, we've always wanted to be living rock guys.)

She also talked briefly about the card-based loadout system that lets you personify how you play. "These cards allow you to tune a Champion's abilities to your preference and style of play. Plus you'll get every card for every Champion free, so you can start experimenting with new builds in your first minute of play."

With the launch of the game next week, Hi-Rez is promising even more support for it down the road. "We're just getting started, and the next year is going to be even better," said Huskey. "Best of all: Paladins will always be free to play, even after launch."

Paladins: Champions of the Realm is available now (in beta form) for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. There's word that we'll be getting a Nintendo Switch version as well, so we'll see if that happens!