The Darwin Project Kicks Off Its First Open Beta Weekend

Scavengers Studio today announced that The Darwin Project, a Hunger Games-esque, battle-royale game built around audience participation, will enter its first open beta period this weekend on PC. Simply head to Steam to pre-load the game’s client, and you’ll be set to join the manhunt between the following times:

Start: Friday, January 19 at Noon PST / 3:00pm EST
End: Sunday, December 21 at 9:00pm PST / Midnight EST

The beta will include two new features that take full advantage of the interactive functionality of streaming platforms like Mixer, and enable viewers to control the way the contest unfolds:

• Stream hosts, called “Show Directors,” is the host and master who controls the arena with nuclear bombs, zone closures, gravity storms, and the power of their voice. He/She can queue and trigger various in-game events that viewers can vote on and influence, enabling the audience to shift the rules of engagement, or even the arena itself.
• ex: The “Manhunt” power, viewers can collectively vote to select a Manhunt target. Once set, all match players are notified and incentivized to focus and eliminate the Manhunt target for extra points.

Releasing on PC and Xbox One, The Darwin Project is slated to hit Early Access in Q1 2018 and launch in spring 2018.