14 DAY TRIAL // Epic Games confirms that it's now sending out invitations for the very first alpha trial for its upcoming Fornite shooter, as the lucky people who get emails from the studio will be able to join the Online Test 1 stage later today, December 2, until December 19.
Fortnite is among the most anticipated all-new intellectual properties of the year, as quite a lot of people are eager to see just what independent developer Epic Games has been working on for quite some time. The studio has dedicated a lot of its resources to making Unreal Engine 4 as attractive as possible, but so far, it's only proved it through technical demonstrations.
The first Epic-made title that uses Unreal Engine 4 is Fortnite and it's been getting quite a few details in recent months, in addition to actual screenshots or gameplay videos.
The Fortnite alpha kicks off soon
Now, after a pretty lengthy wait, the alpha testing process for the upcoming shooter is set to begin later today, December 2, and lasts until December 19.
The so-called Fortnite Online Test 1 rolls out on the PC platform and Epic has already confirmed on the official website that invitations are being sent out to a select number of fans. First up, those who joined the special Storm Chaser live events that took place across the U.S. will receive the actual messages with instructions to access the Fortnite alpha.
Alongside them, random people who registered on the website for a chance to test out the Fortnite alpha will also be invited in waves from now until the end of the actual test phase.
The alpha tests out the basic mechanics of the game
Don't expect any flashy surprises as opposed to the gameplay videos already released with Fortnite, as Epic highlights that this first alpha stage is only taking place to test out the basic mechanics and the systems that will support the Fortnite experience.
"During this phase of the Alpha we are testing to make sure all of the basic stuff, from the launcher to all the game systems, is working so we can start getting real feedback from real players to help us make the game better. The game is still rough around the edges but we think it can benefit from your input even at this early stage."
As of right now, Fortnite is currently being developed for the PC platform by Epic. The studio isn't ruling out potential console versions for PS4 or Xbox One, but at the moment it's focusing on the PC as it's much more open and allows it to experiment a bit more.
