Bethesda announces new details about the upcoming Doom closed alpha, including information about the inaugural multiplayer map, what weapons are available, and what gamemode will feature.

One of the most iconic first person shooter franchises in history is getting closer to its long-awaited revival, and with that impending deadline comes plenty of pre-launch testing. Doom was revealed earlier this year at E3 2015, and developer id Software looks to have done a good job in keeping the series as gory as it ever was.

The studio had previously confirmed that Doom would receive a closed alpha, and publisher Bethesda has finally come out with more details about the alpha itself, including what game mode will be made available to the lucky alpha testers.

Gamers who purchased Wolfenstein: The New Order will have already received a code for the beta within the packaging for the game, and they can now redeem it on the game's website. Though the beta codes don't guarantee access to the alpha, a good amount should receive access - it's likely that Bethesda is attempting to stress test their dedicated servers with the alpha before they open the floodgates for a full-fledged multiplayer beta.

Those who are granted access to the alpha will be able to play team deathmatch on a single, brand new map. The 6 vs 6 action should provide enough guts and gore to please most fans aching to get back into the bloodstained boots of the marine protagonist. For those more interested in playing as demons, the map reportedly includes a Demon Rune that will temporarily transform players into a Revenant. For those unfamiliar with the classic Doom enemy, Revenants are tall skeletons that emit horrifying banshee shrieks and carry shoulder-mounted rocket launchers - the above photo should demonstrate just about how friendly they look.

The alpha will also let gamers test out the following six different standard Doom weapons: the super shotgun, vortex rifle, repeater, rocket launcher, static canon, and the plasma rifle. Of course, grenades and teleporters will also feature in the alpha deathmatch content.

The latest iteration of the franchise is poised to combine both old and new elements of first person shooters, and will go a long way in proving that one of gaming's oldest franchises is still a Triple A contender. Bethesda already cancelled one edition of the game for being too much like Call of Duty, so hopefully all that fine-tuning will pay off in the long run.

Bethesda hasn't stated when the alpha will open, but signs indicate that it will come sooner rather than later. With a beta still on the horizon before the game is set to release in early 2016, the studio has plenty of ground to cover to ensure their pre-launch activities help them polish the title prior to its launch day.

Doom is expected to have a Spring 2016 release for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: GameInformer