Ex-DICE developers’ very un-Battlefield shooter goes into open beta

polygon.com:

The Finals, the squad-based, free-to-play shooter inspired by sci-fi bloodsport narratives like Squid Gameand The Running Man, will be playable on PC and console starting Oct. 26, developer Embark Studios announced Wednesday. The game from former Battlefield developers will go into open beta on that date for PlayStation 5, Windows PC (via Steam), and Xbox Series X.

The open beta will be console players’ first opportunity to go hands-on with The Finals. Embark Studios said in a news release that it will “get feedback on the console and gamepad experience” and stress test its servers.

Players on PC who took part in previous beta tests for The Finals will still find something new to do, though. The open beta will include a new map called Skyway Stadium, an “ever-changing” and “treacherous playground,” plus a new game mode called Bank-It, in which four teams of three battle for riches in what Embark calls a “casual-friendly, combat-focused mode.” In Bank-It, the winning team is the one that reaches the max limit first or has the most cash banked at the end of the round.

The Finals’ open beta will also include a free battle pass, with 16 exclusive unlockable rewards that beta players keep for the game’s launch. The Finals does not have a release date.

Stockholm-based Embark Studios was co-founded in 2018 by Patrick Söderlund, the former CEO of Battlefield developer DICE, and Rob Runnesson, DICE’s former chief creative officer. Originally, Embark’s first game was to have been ARC Raiders, a free-to-play, third-person sci-fi shooter that was announced in December 2021 at that year’s The Game Awards. Embark delayed ARC Raiders after The Finals “has progressed faster than we first imagined,” Söderlund said, moving its development