Saber Interactive, the developers behind Space Marine 2, have announced that their planned multiplayer beta event will not be going ahead, citing a ‘priority to ensure the best possible experience at release‘.
Simply put, the team behind the game are full steam ahead on optimisation, polish and fixing remaining issues ahead of a September release – meaning there is now a reluctance to take the development teams away from preparing for the full launch. So the chopping block finds itself targeting the multiplayer beta option – specifically the Eternal War mode that was detailed in the recent Overview Trailer.
Announced via a Steam community update, the full details are clear that the team don’t want to compromise the launch of the game:
Over the past few weeks, we have seen incredible excitement around the game, both online and at the shows during the North American tour. Our teams at Focus and Saber have been truly blown away by your passion, and we’ve loved seeing the fan art, reactions and memes that you have shared so far.
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Space Marine 2 is almost ready. We are now entirely focused on optimization, polish and fixing remaining issues ahead of launch on September 9. This means we will not run a public online beta, as it would take the development teams away from preparing for the full launch, and our priority is to ensure the best possible experience at release.
As way of apology, they do offer a neat gun skin to anyone who signed up for the beta before June 28 – a reward for enthusiasm and to hopefully placate those who are desperate to lace up their ceramite boots.
We know this is disappointing news for some of you. As a thank you to those interested in participating, players who registered via the online signup before June 28, 2024, midnight Paris Time, will receive the limited Bolt Pistol skin below.
It’s a curious case, if only because most of the time a beta this close to release mostly serves as a marketing tool – a hype building sizzle party to coax any fence sitters to take the plunge and maybe drop a pre-order. Good for data collection, sure, but any truly big ticket changes aren’t likely to sneak in prior to release. It is admirable to see that Saber Interactive are dedicated to making sure the game delivers on its big promises right out the gate – even if it means breaking a teeny one prior to release.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 launches on September 10.
Were you jonesing for some hot Space Marine multiplayer action? Are you bummed that the beta will no longer go ahead? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
