Mavericks: Proving Grounds, the 1,000-player battle royale game due to enter beta this month, will instead go straight to release, the developer announced today.
“Hundreds of thousands” of players signed up for the beta following the game’s trailer at this year’s E3, but Automaton Games has decided to dismiss labels and release the game as a work-in-progress instead.
“We strongly believe that games need to be tested properly in the right conditions,” the developer said in a blog post. “We’ve also come to understand that labels such as ‘alpha,’ ‘beta’ and ‘early access’ often create inconsistent expectations. That’s why we’re getting rid of them. No more ‘beta’. No more ‘early access’. We’ll test the game until it’s ready, and then we’ll release it. Simple.”
Mavericks: The Forge will be the working title for the new direction of the game, and it will be available exclusively to selected users for several weeks after launch before the public can get its hands on this title.
“Rather than a series of tests across a string of weekends, we’ll be launching the game live and making iterative updates based on your feedback on a weekly basis,” Automaton said. “You can look forward to more access, and introduction to core features earlier, and seeing your feedback make a tangible impact on the game’s development ahead of its final release.”
The developer promised more information on Aug. 29 with the release of a new developer update, including more details on Founders access and rewards. It also teased a “major change” to the game’s battle royale mode.
