SMITE Closed Beta Begins on Thursday, May 31st
Hi-Rez Studios today confirmed that the Closed Beta for the action MOBA game SMITE will begin tomorrow on Thursday, 31st May, 2012. Studio representatives also announced that no character wipes are planned during Beta. Player advancement in terms of character unlocks and progression will extend beyond Closed Beta, into Open Beta and into Release.
SMITE is an online battleground between mythical gods. SMITE is similar to DotA games but with a few significant changes including a third-person perspective and WASD movement. Players choose from a selection of gods, join session based 5 versus 5 arena combat, and use custom powers and team tactics against other players and minions. SMITE will be free-to-play and is a digital download for the PC.
The Closed Beta build of SMITE includes seventeen playable gods from five mythological pantheons on a fire-themed battleground map. Five gods are available for free – Artemis, Ra, Kali, Ymir, and Sun WuKong. Additional gods can be unlocked through gameplay or more quickly via in-game microtransactions. Hi-Rez Studios will be adding new playable gods during the Beta period and beyond.
“We are excited to shake-up the MOBA genre with SMITE,” says Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios Chief Operating Officer. “Whether you are a fan of existing DotA type games or MMO PvP battleground play, we invite you to checkout SMITE and play alongside our dev team in Beta.”
Those wishing to guarantee a Closed Beta spot may purchase the SMITE Starter Pack at the game’s official website. The starter pack includes automatic admission into Beta, access to the 5 free gods, and permanent access to 10 additional gods – Zeus, Hades, Anubis, Vamana, Agni, Odin, Hel, Ao Kuang, He Bo, and Bastet. The Starter Pack is priced at $19.99, a 33% discount to list price, as a reward to those who pre-order and assist with Beta testing.
