After releasing a closed beta that caught the gaming world's attention, Ubisoft's first-person battle royale Hyper Scape launched a PC open beta yesterday during the Ubisoft Forward livestream. Console gamers have not been left behind, as following the live stream, Hyper Scape's official Twitter account announced that it will be coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime this summer.
Though some may be concerned that the longer lead-time on PC will be detrimental for a game that has a running Battle Pass to unlock items, much like the Battle Pass in Epic Games' Fortnite and other battle royales such as Call of Duty: Warzone, the developers have laid out a solution to even the playing field. By using a Twitch extension, prospective console players can accumulate progress in Hyper Scape's Battle Pass by watching Twitch streamers who play the open beta.
The Ubisoft Forward event outlined a number of differences that have been implemented since Hyper Scape's closed beta, such as additional guns and more "hacks" that act like super moves. Part of its presentation was a trailer that hinted at Hyper Scape's underlying narrative, one that draws comparisons to Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. It's a decent enough sell for those who enjoy following a long-term story, with strange events happening in the digital world it establishes that should keep some players invested.
That being said, the gameplay inherent to this take on the somewhat overstuffed battle royale genre should also help the new title thrive for a time. Hyper Scape topped the Twitch charts after its closed technical beta launched at the beginning of July, and now that it is more openly accessible there's a good chance it will continue to hold that spot.
Having a ton of players jump into Hyper Scape will undoubtedly let it grow even faster, as that userbase can facilitate the developers finding issues like bugs more easily. Senior Producer Graeme Jennings said Hyper Scape builds off experience working on Rainbow Six Siege as far as running multiplayer servers goes, so the team already has a decent head start.
At this point, time will tell whether the new battle royale keeps up with the longevity and popularity of contemporaries like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Apex Legends. Its later console release makes for a rocky start, but Hyper Scape is still poised to become a big name.
Hyper Scape is targeting a 2020 launch for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.