Hi-Rez Studios' Team Shooter Rogue Company Enters Closed Beta

After a good bit of teasing -- and the obligatory round of alpha testing -- First Watch Games and Hi-Rez Studios have taken their third-person team-shooter Rogue Company into Closed Beta. Of course, this means two very important things: Early Access is available via Founder's Pack purchases, and -- as is common with games developed by Hi-Rez and its related companies -- the NDA has been lifted. So... You streamers among us can get ready to stream.

It's also important to know that this is the first Hi-Rez game to launch on PC and console simultaneously. That does include Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. PC players will have to grab the game from the Epic Games Store -- no Steam yet. And yes, there is crossplay.

Prior to today's beta launch, First Watch Games offered us a peek at the game, taking us through 15 minutes of gameplay -- posted last week -- and answering a few basic questions about the game. During this look, some questions were answered regarding how things like crossplay will work as well as what players can expect from the game's monetization.

For those of you wondering about the cross-play, there's still more to do to it, particularly in regards to matchmaking. Matchmaking works across platforms and the developers have been very diligent in ensuring that every in-studio test includes crossplay. They've also focused heavily on making sure each version of the game is the same. Even the Switch version runs at 60 FPS. That said, things like matchmaking by input type are still be hammered out.

As of today's closed beta launch, players will be able to access 3 different game modes, 13 Rogues, and 7 maps. The gameplay video posted below highlights one game mode -- Demolition. This mode is a 4v4 alternating mode where players are limited to a single life per match.

As with most shooters, players choose a Rogue before a match but can switch them at halftime when they take the time to upgrade as well as buy gadgets and perks. As with other shooters, Rogue Company's Rogues all have unique abilities. You'll see some laying out barbed-wire traps for instance. They all also have unique melee abilities -- in addition to just being able to punch -- as well as their fire arm related abilities.

As for microtransactions, players can expect a pretty similar monetization system to those found in other Hi-Rez games. This means buying skins, sprays, and the like.

And on the note of monetization, to get into closed beta you're still going to need a key. That means getting one through a giveaway or buying one the the three Founder's packs First Watch Games has lined up. The packs range in price from $15 for the Starter to $60 for the Ultimate and all of them include the following:

• Early access to Rogue Company
• Six core Rogues to choose from: Dima, Dallas, Ronin, Anvil, Trench and Saint
• Squad Unlocked - 2 bonus Founder’s Pack Rogues: Phantom and Chaac
• Rare Founder Spray
• Epic Superstar Dance Emote
• Rare Speed Demon Ronin Outfit
• Epic Solar Flare Weapon Wrap

The Standard Founder's Pack, which is the middle range pack, also includes six additional Rogues and a Rare Extermination Chaac Outfit. The Ultimate also offers those as well as the Epic Night Runner Lancer Outfit, a Rare Chalked Spray, an Epic Leg Day Dance Emote, and 1500 Rogue Bucks.

Of course, it wouldn't be an update without some new content and patch notes. The new content in this case is an all new Rogue -- a hacker and activist by the name of Gl1tch. There's no trailer for him yet, but he is the face in the image above.