Thirdverse and inXile Entertainment announced last week that Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds, the upcoming team-based multiplayer shooter, is going into open beta starting today. You could also get it for free when it launches.
Update (September 28th, 2020): The open beta for Frostpoint kicks off today, and goes on for three weeks. Users who sign up by linking their Oculus or Steam accounts will be able to compete to win a free code for the retail version. Signs-up are here.
We’ll be bringing you gameplay impressions in the coming days once we get a few matches under our belts, so check back soon.
Original article (September 23rd, 2020): The game’s open beta runs from September 28th until October 19th, available for download through Steam and the Oculus Store for PC VR headsets.
Each week of the beta, the studios will also be handing out 3,000 (total 9,000) free copies of the retail version of the game to first players who met a few requirements.
Players will need play at least 10 games within a week and also connect their Steam or Oculus accounts to qualify for a code for the retail game when it releases later this year on PC VR headsets.
Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds pits players in 10v10-player matches. As you’d imagine there are a few familiar game modes, like control and capture, however players on both sides will have to simultaneously fight off ‘Reclaimers’, the game’s biomechanical baddies.
If you were already a part of the closed beta on Steam, the open beta is said to include more weapons, tools, enemies, two new maps, and an ‘Attack and Defend’ game mode now too.
This is one of the first ‘Play to Own’ promotion types we’ve seen for a VR shooter, and it may just help generate the hardcore player base the studios are looking for. There’s no word on what the game will cost, but—to state the obvious to veteran PC VR gamers—one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for these sort of multiplayer games is undoubtedly garnering enough concurrent users to not only make sure people come back on a regular basis to find bustling servers, but also to justify continued development on the game.
Thankfully, both Japan-based Thirdverse (Swords of Gargantua) and inXile (The Mage’s Tale) have proven expertise in VR game creation, so we’re hoping to see fully rounded gameplay to justify what might otherwise be considered a dicey move by less experienced studios. We’ll be going hands-on here soon, so stay tuned for impressions.