Amazon is overhauling Crucible just weeks after launch

Shawn Knight

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Editor's take: Crucible, the free-to-play multiplayer shooter developed by Amazon Game Studios, isn’t quite off to the start that the e-commerce giant likely hoped for. As such, some changes are in order. With so many key features missing at launch, one has to wonder why Amazon didn't push the title back a bit longer to add them in.

In a recent developer update, Amazon said the game will remain in pre-season until it has had the opportunity to add some of the features players have asked for such as in-game voice chat, a surrender option, an expanded ping system, a way to deal with AFK players ruining matches and perhaps even a mini map. The game will also be getting some additional polish in the form of improved framerates, better hit feedback, enhanced matchmaking and a revised tutorial for new players.

The dev team is also retiring two of the title’s three game modes – Alpha Hunters and Harvester Command – “for the foreseeable future” in order to focus on the mode that has been resonating most with players, Heart of the Hives.

The dev said focusing on one mode will allow them to refine the design of core systems “without the compromises we needed to make to support three game modes.”

Amazon Game Studios launched Crucible on May 20, 2020, following a development period which reportedly started back in 2014. Per Video Games Chronicle (citing Steam Spy), the game had less than 1,000 concurrent players this past weekend. Over on Twitch, there are just north of 100 viewers for Crucible.

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I tried it out and it didn’t do anything for me. Only played it for about a half an hour, shut it off, and uninstalled it. It felt poorly optimized even though I was getting over 100 FPS. Movement felt kind of wonky and it just seemed like any other non-notable multiplayer shooter.
 
I tried it out and it didn’t do anything for me. Only played it for about a half an hour, shut it off, and uninstalled it. It felt poorly optimized even though I was getting over 100 FPS. Movement felt kind of wonky and it just seemed like any other non-notable multiplayer shooter.

There are too many of them out, and they're cannibalizing each other's gameplay and visuals with abandon.
 
There are too many of them out, and they're cannibalizing each other's gameplay and visuals with abandon.

This. There simply aren't enough players out there for the amount of games out there. You basically get 1-2 hits per year, if that. But that won't stop sudios from putting the same thing out year after year, hoping to be the next flash in a pan.
 
New World(Amazon) looks interesting, just got into the alpha, closed beta starts next month, downloading ^^. MMROPG with manual aim of some kind.

 
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