Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Though there was a level of interest before launch, Amazon Studios’ Crucible failed to make waves following its May 20 release date. In the time since, we’ve seen the developer respond with messages and updates for their future plans for the team-based sci-fi shooter. As the game has continued to struggle, the team behind Crucible has made an unexpected choice for the future of the project. Amazon Studios has announced that Crucible will be going into closed beta.
It’s not every day that you see a game that was already given a full release revert back into a closed beta, but here we are. Amazon Studios went in depth on the decision, as well as what’s next, in an open letter to players made on their official website. Starting tomorrow, Crucible is moving to closed beta. “We’ll continue following the roadmap 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.”
This comes on the heels of Amazon Studios’ move to retire two of the games’ three core game modes back in early June. The developer assures players that the way they enjoy the game now will remain relatively the same. The studio also announces that once a week, there will be a dedicated time where the developers will hop in and play matches with the community, as a way to engage their fanbase and receive feedback.
While this is a bizarre move, you have to give the team behind Crucible a little bit of credit for continuing to be dedicated to their project. Instead of abandoning the handful of passionate fans that Crucible has accumulated, Amazon Studios is working closely with them and amplifying their voices in order to improve the game. Amazon’s attempt to dip into the world of first-party game development may not have gone how they hoped, but they’re certainly on the right path in building something great over time.