Update 2: After slight delay, Vostok Games' Fear the Wolves now has a concrete Early Access launch date: August 28, 2018.
Which means you can take to its Chernobyl-set, Stalker-inspired battlegrounds next Tuesday. There, you'll fight radiation, bad weather, "endgame extraction mechanics" and, of course, other players. Here's a quick glimpse of some of that, followed by what appears to be a soldier shooting an angry wolf in the face. Harsh.
With new maps, modes and more planned throughout Fear the Wolves' Early Access stint, developer Vostok hopes to gather more player feedback as it goes.
"Fear the Wolves enters Early Access with an additional six weeks of development and testing in closed beta," says the dev. "With game performance and balancing now refined, it’s time for Fear the Wolves to be enjoyed by an even wider audience on Steam."
Do so next Tuesday, August 28, if you like. Our original story and update follows.
Update 1: Fear the Wolves battle royale beta is in rough shape but has a great endgame, said Chris last week after some hands-on time with its closed beta. Developed by Vostok Games from a team of ex-Stalker devs, Fear the Wolves brings a splash of battle royale to Chernobyl. Originally due to enter Early Access today, July 18, it's now been delayed.
Not by much, but enough to allow for some reworks following player feedback.
"Originally scheduled for release July 18, Fear The Wolves' Early Access on Steam has now been pushed back by a few weeks," reads a statement. "Focus Home Interactive and Stalker veterans Vostok Games have made this decision together after closely listening to the expectations and feedback of players in the Closed Beta, which has proven a vital part of the game’s ongoing development. The Closed Beta will extend until the new Early Access launch date, allowing players to continue their exploration of the hostile and radioactive lands of a devastated Chernobyl.
"The positive community feedback encouraged us to delay the release of the Early Access to ensure the well-received core experience isn’t marred by technical issues. On top of fixing these issues, this delay will also allow us to further improve other aspects of the game, thanks to the masses of data and player feedback gathered through testing."
No exact date is given, however Fear the Wolves is expected to enter Early Access "later this summer." Its full release is due at some point next year. Our original story follows.
Original story:
Fear the Wolves is a "post-apocalyptic first person shooter battle royale" from Vostok Games. It launched its beta test sign ups last week, and now has an Early Access release date: July 18.
Vostok, for those unaware, is the same studio behind the still-in-beta online shooter Survarium, that's comprised of former Stalker devs. Fear the Wolves combines elements of that, with the workings of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. And while I quite fancy the premise, the fact that the dev has now lined up two concurrent pre-release games concerns me slightly.
Anyway, expect a 100-player last person standing foray from Fear the Wolves, a dynamic "vote-based" weather system, and a range of dilapidated but functional vehicles. The 25 km² map is set "in the ruins surrounding Chernobyl", so says its Steam blurb—with rivers, forests, destroyed towns, hidden army camps and more—where radiation poisoning is a constant threat.
When it lands in Early Access, Fear the Wolves will offer players 20 guns, 25 attachments, 15 armour sets, and a familiar genre staple haul of air drops and consumables. Learn more about the aforementioned beta in this direction, and check out its E3 trailer here:
"Fear the Wolves enters Early Access with Vostok Games keen to receive feedback and improve the game alongside a growing community of players interested in the next evolution of Battle Royale," explains publisher Focus Home Interactive. "The first Early Access version already features the core gameplay and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. vibe, and there is much more already in development.
"A new mode, gameplay features like leaning and crawling, more weapons, items, mutants, and weather—Vostok Games promise regular, large content patches, with a full plan of the update timeline available on the Steam page throughout development. The community will also play their part, with feedback welcome on everything from weapon balance to new ideas for Fear the Wolves’ unique weather and PvE systems."
Fear the Wolves enters Steam's Early Access initiative on July 18, 2018. It aims for full release at some point next year.
