14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Valve is announcing that it has worked with Bad Robot, the production company of J.J. Abrams, in order to create a new game mode for Team Fortress 2, called PASS Time, which is now live in the shooter.
At the moment, the experience is in beta state, and Escalation Studios was also involved in the development process for it.
The three companies are saying that the core mechanics of Team Fortress 2 have been combined with elements taken from football, basketball and hockey to create a competitive experience that is also designed to deliver fun moments to entire teams.
The announcement explains that "RED and BLU face off in an epic battle to score more goals than their opponents. Coordinated passing, aerial shots, interceptions, team-based formations and plays, defensive lines and the like make for strategically chaotic play."
The jack is added to Team Fortress 2 and when gamers pick it up, their weapons are replaced, which means that teammates need to work carefully to protect the carrier, who is now able to pass and shoot with his primary fire.
An opponent carrier needs to be killed for the jack to be picked up, and the object also offers temporary invulnerability as well improved speed and vision to make it easier for gamers to carry it across the map.
PASS Time also features jump pads and Sudden Death
In a move clearly designed to make matches more spectacular, the game mode also adds speed boosts and jump-pads to Team Fortress 2 in order to give gamers new ways to get past opponents and to defend their own goals.
PASS Time also features sudden death mechanics for those matches that end in a tie.
Gamers are encouraged to try out the new experience and to deliver feedback so that Bad Robot and Valve can improve it in the future.
Since PASS Time was first introduced, Team Fortress 2 has received some smaller updates that tweak certain aspects of the gameplay.
It's unclear whether the two companies have long-term plans to continue working together on the shooter or if they might announce other common projects.