Huxley closed beta signups begin

Yesterday, Duke Nukem Forever once again affirmed its hold on the vaporware crown with the news that its longtime developer 3D Realms would be closing its doors. Today, one contender for that crown--NHN and Webzen's Huxley--took a step in the opposite direction, with the publisher announcing that closed beta sign-ups for the PC edition are now underway through the massively multiplayer online first-person shooter's Web site.

Originally announced by Webzen during the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game was initially slated to launch for the Xbox 360 and PC in 2006. After a slow trickle of information and a string of delays, NHN acquired the rights to distribute the PC edition of the game in North America and Europe in 2008, as well as first-look rights for the Xbox 360 version.

Now operating under the moniker Huxley: The Dystopia, the game has been in open beta in Korea since mid-2008. Huxley has been built using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3, and seeks to combine FPS gameplay with the collectability and persistent character actions of an online role-playing game.

NHN provided no updated release window for the either the PC or Xbox 360 edition of the game, and had not responded to requests for comment as of press time. More information on Huxley: The Dystopia is available through NHN's online portal, ijji.com.