Bulkhead Interactive is nearly ready to release Battalion 1944 in Early Access, 11 months after fans offered three times the requested funding for the WW2 shooter. Gamers will get a chance to play the studio’s first first-person shooter (for free) before Battalion 1944 hits Steam on Feb. 1.
Battalion 1944 is a new shooter from Bulkhead Interactive, the studio behind 2016 puzzle game The Turing Test. It will feel much different than either of the recent big 20th century shooters, Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: WW2. The game draws heavy inspiration from Counter-Strike and Enemy Territory, pitting teams of five against one another in an array of maps and environments. The Battalion website says the game will emphasize infantry combat and the most successful teams will be those that communicate well, provide cover fire, etc. It looks a bit like Call of Duty (pre-CoD4) in a new gameplay trailer published this week. But it will require a bit more coordination than players have come to expect from Activision’s annual cash cow.
Battalion has pretty much been under lock and key for the last year. But now the studio is letting its Kickstarter and Humble backers, along with a select few who register for the beta, test Battalion and its servers before the shooter’s Early Access debut. The beta begins next Friday (Jan. 19) and will continue through Sunday, Jan. 21. Players can try Domination matches on the “Manorhouse” map or Wartide matches (the game’s competitive mode) on Liberation. And a press release about the beta notes Battalion will have four additional match types when it hits Steam. But Bulkhead says more information on those is coming “later down the line.”
For an early look at Battalion 1944, check out the gameplay reveal trailer published this week or sign-up for next week’s open beta. Then head down to the comments and let us know if you’re planning to check out Bulkhead Interactive’s first shooter when it hits Steam next month.
Battalion 1944 is in development for PC. The game’s open beta begins Jan. 19 and Battalion will make its Early Access debut on Feb. 1.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Battalion 1944 news in 2018 and however long Bulkhead Interactive supports Battalion 1944 after launch.
