Just over a month after first releasing, Amazon‘s first big video game of the year, Crucible, is… unreleasing. Developer Relentless Studios announced today that the title is officially returning to “closed beta” status as of tomorrow. This comes after an update in early June where the title removed two of its three modes and several reports of the game struggling to find an audience.
“A few weeks ago, I told you about the steps we were taking to change and improve Crucible in response to your feedback. That plan is still the same, but we’re taking a new step that will help us focus on providing the best possible experience for our players as we continue to make the game better,” the announcement from Crucible developer Colin Johanson and the rest of the team reads in part. “Starting tomorrow, Crucible is moving to closed beta. We’ll continue following the roadmap we laid out previously and working on map, combat, and system changes to improve the Heart of the Hives experience as well as implementing other improvements based on your feedback and what we think the game needs in order to thrive.”
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We’re back with another developer update: we’re taking Crucible into closed beta starting tomorrow. Read about the details and how you can participate in the beta here: https://t.co/ox5KG7Fr55
— Crucible (@PlayCrucible) June 30, 2020
Functionally, this means that the title will no longer simply be available on storefronts. Interested users will need to sign up on the official website. The developers will also be carving out dedicated time to play with the community and solicit feedback as well as setting up a community council featuring “beta participants of all playstyles from casual to highly competitive players.” It is currently unclear just how long the new closed beta might last.
The free-to-play video game Crucible is now available for PC via Steam, and launched on May 20th. It is unreleasing and returning to closed beta as of tomorrow, July 1st. Crucible is the first of two games set to release from Amazon Games this year with New World, an MMO set on a supernatural, 17-century continent, expected to launch in August. You can check out all of our previous coverage of Crucible right here.
What do you think about Crucible going back into closed beta? Have you given the free-to-play title a go yet? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!
