God of War: Ascension multiplayer beta hitting this year

God of War: Ascension will be the first entry in the series to include a multiplayer component, and gamers eager to try this mode out before the game ships on March 12, 2013, are in luck. Sony announced recently through the PlayStation Blog that it will offer a prerelease multiplayer beta for the game.

The beta will roll out sometime later this year, with God of War: Ascension game director Todd Papy explaining it will be available globally, and first to PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Papy said receiving feedback from beta testers is "critical" for God of War: Ascension as a means to help the developer tune and polish the game's multiplayer mode.

God of War: Ascension is a prequel to the original trilogy that will tell Kratos' origin story. The game's multiplayer mode will include persistent features as players develop their Troy or Spartan soldiers over time. Performance on the battlefield can yield blessings from the gods in the form of new perks, weapons, and abilities. There will also be a number of different combat roles for players, depending on the god they associate themselves with, be it Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, or Ares.

For more on God of War: Ascension, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.