FBC: Firebreak Registration Is Open Now For This Weekend’s Free Test
It’s your best chance to see FBC: Firebreak before its June launch date.
Remedy Entertainment is known for its excellent, atmospheric singleplayer games, so it came as quite a surprise when the studio announced its upcoming multiplayer shooter. Set in the world of Control, FBC: Firebreak is a huge change from Remedy’s usual work, and anyone who’s interested in learning more has a chance before release, with a test session starting this weekend.
The first thing to keep in mind is that there’s no guaranteed way to gain entry to the test. Unlike some beta periods, there’s no way to pay to guarantee access. Instead, you can register your interest in joining, and Remedy will select from its pool of potential testers when the time comes. To register, just head to Remedy’s FBC: Firebreak sign-up page, and after confirming your birth date, you can submit your email to join the pool. You also need to agree to a confidentiality agreement stating that you won’t share any information about the test experience publicly, so keep in mind that you won’t be able to stream or make any content about the game at this point.
As you might expect from Remedy, FBC: Firebreak is far from your typical first-person shooter.
If you’re selected, you’ll get an email with a code for the platform of your choice before May 15. The test itself runs from May 15 at 9AM Eastern to May 19 at 5PM Eastern. That gives anyone who’s selected a full weekend, from Thursday to Monday, to check out the game.
According to Remedy, two mission types will be playable during the test, and all characters and equipment will be available to use. The test is intended to refine FBC: Firebreak’s matchmaking and game balance, so expect some quirks finding groups, balance issues, and in all likelihood, connection problems. Crossplay will be enabled, though, so players won’t need to worry about how many testers are signed up for their platform of choice. Remedy even says that some developers will be around during the test to group up with other players.
FBC: Firebreak is a fully cooperative shooter from the creator of Control.
While it shares a setting with Control, FBC: Firebreak is a very different type of game. Players are part of the Federal Bureau of Control’s field teams, the first to head into dangerous sites of supernatural activity and clear out all the bizarre horrors infesting them. Unlike most popular multiplayer shooters these days, FBC: Firebreak doesn’t pit players against each other. Instead, it’s a fully cooperative experience, more along the lines of Left 4 Dead than Marathon. Multiple mission types all have their own objectives, and there is a bit of extraction shooter in the mix in each of them. Finishing the job and skedaddling is an option, but you can also spend more time in missions collecting currency that will buy you better gear for later.
FBC: Firebreak is a big swing for Remedy, and one that might not hit with the same audience as its typical singleplayer horror games. Still, anyone who’s drawn to Remedy games for their unique atmosphere might find more of what they’re used to than they might expect from the upcoming shooter. We’ll know for sure how FBC: Firebreak pans out when it launches in June, but until then, the weekend-long is the best chance to see Remedy’s original take on what a multiplayer shooter can be.
