Video Games
Capcom Announces ‘Monster Hunter World: Iceborne’ Beta Test Starting June 21
Capcom has announced that in preparation for their upcoming release of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, they’ll be having a beta exclusively for PlayStation Plus users on PlayStation 4, starting June 21 at 3:00 am PT / 6:00 am ET / 11:00 am BST, and running through the same time on June 24.
A second beta will be available for all PlayStation 4 users starting June 28 at 3:00 am PT / 6:00 am ET / 11:00 am BST and run through the same time on July 1. Preload options will be available a couple of days in advance before each beta. The base game is not required to participate.
“The beta offers players three quest choices, including the beginner-friendly Great Jagras hunt from Monster Hunter: World for newcomers, the brand new horned brute wyvern Banbaro for an intermediate challenge or returning series favorite Tigrex for the fiercest of hunters,” states Capcom. “The beta will let players test out all 14 weapon types in any of the three quests and the training area.”
Upon completing each quest for the first time, players can earn a total of three item packs containing consumable items that will be available for them to use in the full version of the Iceborne expansion when it releases.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is due out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, and for PC this winter.
Overshadowing the announcement of Ninja Theory’s third entry in the Hellblade series earlier this month were reports that the developer was facing possible closure by Microsoft, alongside South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games and Double Fine. Now according to a new story by GamesBeat, another developer under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella is potentially facing closure in Undead Labs, who are currently working on State of Decay 3.
Earlier this month, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma had announced that Microsoft was in the process of ‘resetting’ Xbox. That resulted in a report by Bloomberg during Summer Game Fest that revealed that multiple developers were negotiating with Microsoft to spin off of Xbox to avoid closing down. Now, according to the GamesBeat report, Undead Labs is now part of that group of developers negotiating to be bought to avoid layoffs.
The article states that Undead Labs could lose 110 jobs if it were shut down, while Compulsion could lose 90 jobs, Ninja Theory could lose 135 jobs, and Double Fine Productions could lose 100 jobs.
Other developers and publishers at Microsoft also reportedly face cuts, including Blizzard, id Software and Bethesda.
Undead Labs was acquired by Microsoft back in 2018, with State of Decay 3 being announced in 2020. News on the development of the game was quiet until 2024, when a new trailer was released. Updates on the game again were hard to come by until last January when then-Xbox Game Studios lead Craig Duncan revealed that development was still very much alive. That was followed up this month with an official announcement that State of Decay 3 would be coming next year to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store.