Gearbox Software, best known for its Battleborn and Borderlands franchises, will soon be holding a closed technical test for a new online shooter.
Codenamed Project 1v1, the in-development, competitive shooter is said to combine the fast-paced action of 1v1 first-person combat with the metagame strategy of a collectible card game.
Gearbox says on the game's official landing page that it is looking for a limited number of players to test the online infrastructure and learn what players think about the game - feedback that'll potentially be used to steer future development.
The closed test will feature three game modes. In Arena mode, competitors will queue up to challenge the current Arena champion and take their place with a victory. Ranked mode, meanwhile, will match players with an opponent based on their player rating. Winning a ranked match will earn a player experience and crates containing new cards. Last but not least is Challenge mode which simply allows players to challenge a friend to a stress-free, unranked battle.
The developer notes that testing will take place on North American servers. As such, it wouldn't be unusual for international players to experience some lag.
Gearbox is certainly thinking outside the box with Project 1v1. It's different from a standard first-person shooter in that it looks to use the card-based element as a delivery vehicle for long-term progression to keep gamers coming back for more. Whether or not that resonates with gamers is to be determined.
Those interested in throwing their name in the hat for technical test consideration can sign up over on the Project 1v1 website.