Crucible returning to closed beta today, Amazon and Relentless continue to work on game's roadmap

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Amazon’s big foray into the multiplayer hero shooter genre has taken another step backwards following its launch in mid May. First, Relentless and Amazon confirmed it would be removing two of Crucible’s game modes from circulation, Harvester Command and Alpha Hunters, leaving Hearts of the Hives as the sole mode for players to experience. In a statement at the time Relentless Software said it was going to prioritise other features including voice chat, expanding ping systems, and surrender options as a matter of priority before moving onto a second phase. It seems though Crucible’s fortunes have not improved in the last few weeks, and the decision has been made to un-release the game and take it back to a closed beta. That closed beta phase will begin today. In a statement, Relentless wrote: 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. For the most part, your experience as a Crucible player will stay pretty much the same while we’re in beta. One of the biggest changes you’ll see is that we’re going to schedule dedicated time each week when we as devs will be playing with the community and soliciting feedback. The game will be accessible 24/7 so you can continue to self-organize matches with other players—we recommend joining our Discord server to find players to queue against. You’ll still launch Crucible through Steam (you don’t even need a new download), you’ll keep all the progress and customization items you’ve already earned, and the battle pass, reward tracks, and in-game store will continue to be supported. We’re setting up a community council, made up of beta participants of all playstyles from casual to highly competitive players, who we’ll be working especially closely with. We’ll have more information on that council, as well as our weekly play schedule, soon. Even though Crucible will be in closed beta, nothing is changing about the way you can engage with the game: you’re still welcome to stream, to share screenshots and clips, and to talk about what you experience in the beta. The studio confirms Crucible will only leave beta once proper player feedback has been received, and certain metrics have been met, with no clear timeline given. Source: Play Crucible