Ghost Recon: Future Soldier beta begins April 19

More than two years ago, gamers who bought the Xbox 360 version of Splinter Cell Conviction were promised entry to the beta period of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Ubisoft is finally ready to make good on that promise, as the publisher today announced that the Future Soldier beta will run from April 19 through May 2 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Those who don't have a copy of Splinter Cell Conviction handy will still be able to participate either by preordering the Xbox 360 version of Future Soldier from GameStop or subscribing to PlayStation Plus. The beta will feature matches on two maps, in two different modes, and for up to 12 players. It will also give players the chance to try out the game's three classes to see which suits their preferred play style.

Beyond the beta, Ubisoft detailed the Ghost Recon Network, a new service for mobile devices and Web browsers that will let players tinker with the game while on the go. The service will let players customize weapons and share them with the community, view heatmaps of levels, track leaderboard performance of themselves and their friends, and earn unlocks for Future Soldier. Ubisoft said the Ghost Recon Network "will support all Ghost Recon titles moving forward."

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is set for a May 22 release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a PC release following on June 12. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.