Crystal Dynamics and Square-Enix held another Avengers War Table stream, and with it came some pretty major news: the game is going into beta next month.
The beta will begin with the opening 25 minutes of the game, and will let you play as multiple heroes during an attack on the Golden Gate Bridge. Beyond the opening mission, there will be a few hero missions showcasing specific characters, including: The Hulk and Ms. Marvel, with one mission including a boss fight between The Hulk and Abomination. Once those are done, you’ll be able to pick between four heroes: Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, and Hulk. Using these four, you’ll be able to play different missions with up to four players. You’ll also be able to test out some of the game’s customization options and earn cosmetics that will carry over to the full game. The missions can last anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours, according to the presentation
The beta will begin on August 7 for PlayStation 4 owners who have pre-ordered the game, with Xbox One and PC pre-orders to follow on August 14. That same day, PlayStation 4 will be getting an open beta for everyone, regardless of pre-order status, and then a week later on August 21, the open beta will be available on all three systems.
Check out the full presentation below:
While the game is designed around cooperative multiplayer, Crystal Dynamics confirmed that AI heroes fighting alongside you will use your custom-made builds, allowing you to more holistically customize the way your team fights. So if playing socially doesn’t appeal to you that much, it sounds like there’s systems in place to make it viable as a single player game.
Along with detailing the beta, Crystal Dynamics confirmed that Hawkeye, the Avengers’ archer, will be the first hero to be added to the game after launch. Clint will get his own storyline as well, which will be mostly separate from the main story.
Check out his reveal trailer below, courtesy of IGN:
In other news:
- Private Division Signs New Publishing Deals with Three Studios
- Injustice is Returning in Some Capacity, Don’t Talk To Me About Anything Else Today
- Xbox’s First Party Games Don’t Appear As Cross-Gen Friendly As Previously Reported
Also, if you play the beta and also play Fortnite, you can use Hulk’s hands and Hulkbuster hands as pickaxes in that game. You know, if you ever felt like using a superhero’s severed hands in Fortnite.
This is the second of Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers War Table presentations, the first of which was one of the more comprehensive looks at the game we’ve gotten since its announcement.
Marvel’s Avengers is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 4, and will eventually come to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 when those launch later this holiday season. Anyone who plays the game on previous gen consoles will be able to upgrade to the Xbox Series X or PS5 versions at no additional cost. For more on Crystal Dynamics’ take on Marvel’s heroes, check out our preview from PAX West.
