AirMech beta brings accessible, hardcore RTS to Steam
During PAX East we told you that AirMech, the hardcore hybrid RTS from Carbon Games, would be available on Steam, in beta form, this summer. We have to take a second to thank Carbon Games for not making liars out of us. Thanks, Carbon.
The AirMech beta is now live on Steam, accessible by buying the "Beta Bundle" for $20. The final game will be free-to-play, but the Beta Bundle offers oodles of perks, including all of the AirMech classes and units, lifetime silver VIP and a beta-exclusive bomber.
The Chrome version of AirMech has been open for beta testing since February, and still is via the official Carbon Games website. More than 250,000 players have tried out AirMech in browser form, but the Steam version adds some flair, such as 86 Steam Achievements and the ability to invite friends directly to play games.
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AirMech Beta on Steam, Servers Added Worldwide
Seattle, WA - August 6, 2012 - AirMech is now available on Steam! Beta keys have been distributed to all Alpha testers, and new players can participate in the Steam beta by purchasing a special bundle. Over 250,000 unique players have signed up to play AirMech worldwide, and this week a number of new servers have been brought online across to globe to improve service for everyone.
While AirMech has been quietly available for public beta directly from Carbon Games' website, the Steam version of the game enhances the experience by allowing players to directly invite their Steam friends into AirMech games. Already there are 86 Steam Achievements and more are constantly being added. Players can also compare performance on the Steam leaderboards for a growing number of rankings.
"I'm excited to launch AirMech on Steam because the playerbase is such a natural fit for this type of game," said James Green. "We really believe that F2P when done right is a great model, and we're really impressed with what Valve is doing with their F2P efforts. We're not ashamed to say we are watching very closely and borrowing from their model where appropriate."
AirMech first launched in February playable in the Chrome web browser as a Native Client game, and has grown to over 250,000 registered accounts since then. Open beta of the PC version of the game has been available for players seeking it out, but Steam is the platform Carbon Games is most interested in.
"The game has been out in pre-release form for quite some time and we are constantly adding features and content, taking feedback from our testers, and getting AirMech where we want it to be to compete with the big games. I've always felt a bit conflicted about when the game is really ready for everyone, but our players are so excited and keep bringing more people into the game which is a huge vote of confidence. So even though there's a ton of great features still on the way, we welcome players to check out the game now and help us evolve it into something even more amazing."
Even though AirMech is in beta, there are no wipes of accounts on the horizon. "Even from alpha, we haven't had to wipe data from accounts. If anything, players might earn something extra due to a bug or exploit, but we love having that help from players so why would we punish them by wiping their accounts? Find an exploit, go for it, you're just helping us make the game better, and you can keep it all even when we hit full release," added Green.
Servers have been added worldwide, now including these countries: USA, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Singapore, Japan, Australia. Most players are able to play on servers in nearby countries, and several countries have multiple server locations. Carbon will continue to monitor server capacity and add servers as needed.
Players interested in the Steam version of AirMech can visit http://store.steampowered.com/app/206500/
About Carbon Games
Carbon Games is an independent developer based in Bellevue, WA. Carbon Games believes in creating games that are a mix of classic game mechanics with a unique and polished visual style. The developers regularly discuss their progress and thoughts on game development on their website at http://carbongames.com, on Twitter (http://twitter.com/PlayAirMech), Facebook (http://facebook.com/AirMechGame), and Google+ (http://gplus.to/AirMech).
