PS4 Gets Battleborn Beta First

Today during Sony's Paris Games Week briefing, the company announced that the upcoming open beta for Battleborn, the next game from Borderlands creator Gearbox Software, will launch first on PlayStation 4.

It will debut on PS4 starting "early 2016," though an official start-date was not announced. Xbox One and PC players will be able to join in sometime later.

This isn't the first time a multiplatform game's beta has launched first on PS4, as the same was true for Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

In addition, Gearbox on Tuesday announced the three multiplayer modes for Battleborn. As outlined by Battleborn producer Chris Thomas on the PlayStation Blog, they are:

• Capture: It's classic capture-and-control showdown between two teams of heroes. But more badass. Because we said so.
• Meltdown: Each team has to march waves of their minions to their death into the chompers at the ends of lanes on the map. Sounds like fun, right? Think of it like a homicidal robotic sport. You score points for every minion who throws themselves into the incinerator and the team with the most scrap metal, wins.
• Incursion: Playing Incursion, teams of heroes must defend their base from waves of AI-controlled minions. Meanwhile, you’re working together alongside your own minions to lead them to your opponent’s base. Then destroy it.

The Battleborn release date is set for February 9 across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The game has more playable characters than all Borderlands games combined.

Some will get to play Battleborn as early as Thursday, October 29, as that's when the game's closed technical test begins for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. This includes the game's Meltdown mode and a story mission called The Algorithm. Players will get to try 15 of the Battleborn's 25 characters.

You can register for a chance to play here, while more details about the closed technical test are available here.

In addition to Battleborn, Gearbox is working on Borderlands 3 and is looking to get started on new Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem games.