Amazon's 'Crucible' returns to closed beta to rework gameplay
It wants to retool the multiplayer shooter for a second chance.
Amazon’s Crucible had a rough launch, to put it mildly, and the developers are taking the unusual step of rolling back the game’s availability to give it a second chance. Relentless and Amazon are returning the multiplayer shooter to closed beta as of July 1st. It’ll still be available through Steam to play around the clock for testers, but there will be scheduled sessions where developers will join the fray and ask for feedback. Relentless will also work “especially closely” with a community council with beta members of varying skill levels and play styles to shape the mechanics.
Anyone who wants to be part of the beta can download the game before July 1st at 12PM Eastern. If you’re too late, you can still sign up at the Crucible website.
It’s an odd step, if not a surprising one. Crucible was supposed to be proof that Amazon could develop high-profile online games that compete with the likes of Call of Duty: Warzone or Valorant. Demand tapered off soon after its splashy debut, though, and the creators went so far as to extend the pre-season and cut game modes as it sought to refine gameplay. A closed beta potentially gives the game a second chance at making a good impression — that is, if the community hasn’t already moved on.
