Social survival game SOS seeks 100 new players for 'Vets vs Threats' tournament

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SOS is a survival game with an unusual twist. 16 players head to an island on a mission to recover and escape with an ancient relic, but the helicopter sent to make the pickup only has three seats. Complicating things further, there are no teams; instead, players are free to talk to one another, as well as members of the audience watching online, to try to make deals and alliances on the fly. It sounds very Survivor-like, and the sosgame.com website plays on that show's slogan, saying that players must "out-think, out-run, and out-fight" their opponents.

"In order to escape the island, players will need to use the power of both voice and personality to build bonds with other contestants and navigate the dangerous terrain," developer Outpost Games said. "Scheming, strategizing, and even backstabbing are commonplace and the contestants who do them most skillfully often have the best chance to escape."

It's been in alpha testing for awhile, and the first round of closed beta testing is set to begin on December 11. To kick things off, the developers are holding a "Vets vs. Threats" event ahead of that, that will pit 100 "popular influencers"—the Vets—against 100 up-and-coming performers—the Threats. The Vets have already been selected, but the Threats have not. Unlike the closed beta, however, where you sign up and hope for the best, people who want to join the Threats team must get through a "competitive auditioning process," not to determine the best players (especially since you can't actually play it yet) but rather "the most entertaining personalities."

"First and foremost—we’re looking for contestants with clear audio. The ability to coherently communicate with other players is essential in SOS, so make sure you have a quality mic," the developers said. "Aside from that, we’re just looking for people who want to put on a good show! This can be through role play, or simply by being your bubbly self."

The SOS: Vets vs Threats event will run from 1-5 pm PT on December 9 and 10, and will be streamed on Hero.tv. Details on how to audition are up at sosgame.com/vetsvsthreats. The separate closed beta will follow on December 11 and go until December 17, with servers scheduled to be online 9 am PT to 9 pm PT—you can sign up for that (with just your email address) here.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.