Although Crucible, published by Amazon, was released in mid-May, the game is going back to closed beta on July 1 after suffering from numerous issues starting.<\/b>
\nCrucible, the multiplayer third-person shooter, published by Amazon and developed by Relentless Games, is going back to closed beta on Wednesday, July 1, at 9 a.m. PT, after suffering from a variety of issues.
While Crucible was an ambitious launch for Amazon, it\u2019s still a newcomer to game publishing and development. Crucible is a hybrid of several existing free-to-play and hero shooters in the lineage of Apex Legends andOverwatch. Beyond its lack of identity, the game was marred by technical issues, including voice chat and matchmaking problems.
Crucible received an aggregate review score of 56 on Metacritic and was praised by critics for its vibrant locations and hybrid gameplay mechanics. However, it was widely criticized for being generic among a large catalog of hero shooters.
Relentless Games also faced problematic communication with gamers. After Crucible\u2018s release, Relentless removed two of Crucible\u2018s three modes, leaving Heart of Hives as the remaining option. Relentless has worked to improve the game since its release, though players have shown little interest with fewer than 150 people online, according to Polygon.
Crucible will still launch normally through Steam without redownloading. Progress, in-game items, and purchases will remain unaffected as well. Relentless didn\u2019t say when Crucible will leave closed beta.
Colin Johanson, Relentless\u2019 franchise lead, released an update on Tuesday detailing the decision to revert Crucible to its closed beta stage and what improvements it will make.
\u201cWe\u2019ll continue following the road map 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,\u201d Johanson said.
Players may notice developers soliciting feedback at regular weekly intervals. Relentless will seek input from a \u201ccommunity council made up of beta participants of all play styles.\u201d
Once Crucible transitions to a normal launch, players may come back to a more polished experience. It\u2019s also possible that the game\u2019s player count will be higher if Crucible\u2018s changes during closed beta separate it from its competitors.
\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to the closed beta,\u201d Johanson said \u201cand to what\u2019s in store for the future of Crucible.\u201d<\/p>\n