NC has announced a second Steam playtest for TIME TAKERS, its upcoming free-to-play team survival shooter, which will run from November 12th to 15th.
According to a release, the test will take place from Thursday to Sunday, Pacific Time (PT), and will be held on PC through Steam. Sign-ups are open now, and NC has published a new developer video showing several of the gameplay changes coming in this build.
TIME TAKERS is being developed by Mistil Games and published by NC, the South Korean company formerly known as NCSOFT. NC is best known for its massively multiplayer online (MMO) franchises, including Lineage, AION, Blade & Soul and Guild Wars.
What's changing for the second playtest
The new test follows the game's first PC playtest last September. According to the release, NC has used player feedback from that test to make a number of changes, including:
- Adjustments to combat balance
- Optimised movement controls
- Clearer combat feedback and better visibility during fights
- A reworked matchmaking system
- More developed personalities for the game's characters
“Based on the previous playtest where we saw player numbers and playtime increase, we’ve incorporated feedback to make the combat more dynamic and intense,” an NC representative said. “We can’t wait to see how players react and gather their feedback this November.” The release did not include any figures on how much player numbers or playtime grew during the first test.
How TIME TAKERS works
Each match drops four squads of three players onto the battlefield, with the last team standing taking the win. Players pick a character, known in the game as a ‘traveler’, and fight for time. They can also pick up in-game upgrades during a match to adapt to each fight.
The game is set to launch on PC and consoles. No release date was included in the announcement.
Where TIME TAKERS fits in NC's plans
NC America, the company's western publishing arm based in Irvine, California, handles publishing and live production for selected NC titles in North America, South America, Europe and Oceania. According to the release, it plans to grow its portfolio of NC-developed games and bring original third-party titles to the global market.
NC was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Pangyo, South Korea, with regional offices in North America, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. Its best-known franchises are MMOs, so TIME TAKERS, a squad-based shooter, marks a change of genre for the publisher.
