Hyper Scape

Hyper Scape is a free-to-play first-person shooter battle royale game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is notable for its integration with video game live streamers which allows viewers on Twitch to affect the outcome of a match.

Hyper Scape
Developer(s)Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Jean-Christophe Guyot
Producer(s)Graeme Jennings
EngineAnvilNext 2.0
Platform(s)
ReleaseAugust 11, 2020
Genre(s)Battle royale, first-person shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer

The open beta for Microsoft Windows was released on July 12, 2020. The game was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 11, 2020.[1]

Setting

The game takes place in year 2054 in Neo-Arcadia, part of a metaverse created by the company Prisma Dimensions. Within this metaverse, players do battle with each other in a sport known as Crown Rush. The setting has been likened to that of The Oasis found in Ready Player One.[2][3]

Gameplay

The game's main mode shares elements with other battle royale games, where up to 100 players are dropped on to a map that slowly shrinks over time with players seeking to eliminate the competition. The game however differs in that once the last sector closes a crown appears, any player that is able to hold on to the crown for 45 seconds is automatically declared the winner. Alternatively the game also ends when only one player or team remains.[4][3]

Throughout the game players can find both weapons as well as special abilities known as "Hacks" such as letting the player transform into a giant ball from which they can bounce around or letting them become invisible. Players can only have two weapons and hacks available at a time although each item can be swapped out during a round. [5]

When a player is killed they become an "Echo". While Echos can't kill any opponents they are able to "ping" other members of their team to alert them to dangers or points of interest. When an enemy is killed, they drop a revive point which allows a team to respawn fallen teammates. [3]

Throughout the match the AI host can modify the game world, including revealing every enemy on the game's minimap giving weapons infinite ammo or turning on a low-gravity mode. Viewers watching the game on Twitch can vote which will help the AI decide what modifications to turn on.[5]

Like many games in the Battle Royale genre, Hyper Scape uses a tiered battle pass as a reward system for its players. Each season, there will be a battle pass with 100 tiers, each of them including at least one reward. The technical test had a free battlepass with 10 tiers, with 2 player skins at tier 10. The Open beta had a 30 tier battle pass. The rewards namely include new champions along with skins, weapon skins, melee weapons, deployment pods, emblems and sprays, none of which give the player any competitive advantage. Some battle pass rewards would require a Prime Gaming membership to claim those rewards.

In order to move up a tier on the battle pass, players need to gain 200 experience points. Those points can be obtained in many ways; completing daily and weekly challenges, performing well in games as well as watching and interacting with Twitch streamers will net you experience points. Ubisoft insists that playing the game is still the best way to rank up; players can only earn up to 400 experience points - or 2 tiers - per day, whereas there is no limit when actually playing the game.

Development

In development for two years, the game was designed around the idea of "Game as a spectacle" which came about because the developers noticed that with live stream services like Twitch they, as well as gamers in general were watching games about as much as they were playing them with director Christophe Guyot noting that they weren't only answering to gamers anymore but rather also to viewers.[6] Thus the team " wanted to bring streamers, players, and viewers together into one thing".[7]

Although teased by Ubisoft, the game was officially revealed on July 2, 2020 when many streamers on Twitch suddenly began playing it with a trailer being released later in the day. The Verge compared this to both Apex Legends and Valorant which were also announced in such a manner.[8]

References
  1. "Hyper Scape Comes To Consoles On August 11". news.ubisoft.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  2. Statt, Nick. "UBISOFT'S HYPER SCAPE IS A FAST, CHAOTIC BATTLE ROYALE FROM THE STUDIO BEHIND RAINBOW SIX SIEGE". The Verge. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  3. Favis, Elise. "Is Twitch integration enough to set 'Hyper Scape' apart?". Washington Post. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  4. Gilliam, Ryan. "Ubisoft's new battle royale game is for the looters, not the shooters". Polygon. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  5. Holt, Kris. "'Hyper Scape' brings fresh ideas to a crowded battle royale arena". Engadget. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  6. Takahashi, Dean. "Ubisoft's Hyper Scape is a sci-fi battle royale with audience participation". Venturebeat. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  7. Ruiz, Michael. "Hyper Scape Creative Director on Creating a "Game as a Spectacle"". Dualshockers. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  8. Statt, Nick. "Ubisoft's new Hyper Scape battle royale soars to the top of the Twitch charts". The Verge. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
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