A leaked Sony PlayStation marketplace listing confirms the existence of a pending Uncharted 4: A Thief's End multiplayer open beta, running March 4-6.
As everyone already knows, the Internet never forgets. If a publisher accidentally publishes a story or announcement and quickly pulls it down, the Internet remembers. Of course, publishers probably know this, so maybe they're dropping leaks for marketing purposes? Either way, today's culprit is the Sony marketplace, who dropped a listing for an as-yet--unannounced Uncharted 4: A Thief's End multiplayer beta - another opportunity to try the game before April.
Listed as a free download, the upcoming Uncharted 4 multiplayer beta seems to be of the open variety. That is to say, all PlayStation 4 owners will be able to download and play this beta. That, of course, is dependent on this rumor being real. Several people were able to download the beta and begin exploring what was within, even creating loadouts in preparation for the beta's launch. Speaking of launch, according to the listing the beta will begin on March 4 and end on March 6.
Players suspect that this beta will include a third map - one that was not featured Uncharted 4's previous beta. During a Naughty Dog livestream showcasing their game's multiplayer, they gave a brief (and unintended) teaser regarding an unreleased map, which featured a mountain-side coastal city as dusk approached. Lighted windows peppered the opposing hillside and boats move in the bay, and now screenshot from this new leaked beta shows a similar scene in the daylight.
What's curious about today's Uncharted 4 beta leak is that Naughty Dog has previously said they have no plans to release an open beta. After the December closed beta, which was unlocked for owners of the Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection for the PlayStation 4, Naughty Dog insisted no further beta plans had been made. Looking back, however, it's likely they said that so closed beta participants would feel adequately rewarded for their support of the franchise.
Since the closed beta, Uncharted 4 has had an additional short delay, perhaps pushing Naughty Dog and Sony into agreeing that an additional beta would benefit the game's marketing going into launch. These types of open betas are growing increasingly common for major publisher launches, as they encourage players to pre-order directly from the publisher. And so take in a higher percentage of the game's sales price.
As much as some consider Uncharted 4's multiplayer an unnecessary addition to what should be an entirely single-player focused game, there's no arguing that it provides extra value to the average consumer. And an open beta just a couple months before the game's launch may persuade some who have a hard time justifying $60 on a single-player game. Even if it's one of the best single-player games to grace the generation, just going off of previous titles in the franchise.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a PlayStation 4 exclusive and will launch on April 26.