Amazon’s multiplayer shooter Crucible returns to closed beta

The free-to-play online shooter Crucible will be back in closed beta from 6pm on Wednesday. Since its release in May, the game has received quite a bit of criticism; the makers say they will be making improvements during the beta based on feedback.

Colin Johanson of developer Relentless Studios refers in a new post to previously communicated steps to improve the game based on feedback and sees the return to a closed beta as another step in that process. According to Johanson, this closed beta will help his team focus on delivering the best possible experience for the players. According to him, a previously published roadmap with improvements in the field of map and combat, among other things, is being followed.

The closed beta means new players will not be able to access the game indefinitely; it is unknown how long this phase lasts. Existing players will still have access to the game during the closed beta. Not much changes for them. The game will remain accessible to current owners and the current progression, earned items and things such as rewards and a possible battle pass will all be preserved. Also, during the closed beta, players can still stream gameplay footage and talk about their experiences from the game.

Johanson says one of the biggest changes will be weekly scheduled sessions where the developers will interact with players and ask for feedback. The developer will also set up a special community council. Science participants of all levels will come in. It is intended that Relentless Studios will work closely with this board, although further details are still unknown.

Crucible is a game from publisher Amazon Games. Released on May 20, the game is a team-based shooter with elements of Overwatch and League of Legends; the game is somewhat like Battleborn, a game from Gearbox that did not become a great success, partly because it was surpassed by fairly comparable Overwatch, released in the same month.

Soon after its release, Crucible was found to be unpopular on channels on Twitch, where viewership plummeted to below 600 when NiteNightKid’s sponsored stream stopped. Also, Amazon and Relentless were criticized for the fact that in early June it was decided to shut down two of the three game modes: the Heart of the Hives mode was embraced and the Harvester Command and Alpha Hunters were released. Steam Charts stats show how unpopular it was and most importantly is. In May there were on average more than 3,500 players with a peak of 10,600, but that has now dropped to an average of 360 and a peak of just under 1700 players.