The Game Awards 2021 was filled with game announcements both small and large. One of the biggest surprises was the announcement of a new battle royale game named Rumbleverse, developed by Iron Galaxy which is best known for Divekick, Killer Instinct‘s later seasons, and porting games like Overwatch, Fortnite, and others to console. Yet even those watching Rumbleverse‘s announcement, which seemed a mix of Fortnite cartoonish graphics and wrestling moves, were left questioning what this game really was.
The simple answer is that Rumbleverse is exactly what its trailer presented. Players will be able to customize their own character to take into the arena. Once there, players will be caught up in a mix of brawler and fighting game action against 39 other players. Think of 3D Super Smash Bros. battle royale with players having a base set of core fighting game moves, replete with shielding, dodge-rolls, access to a diverse range of useful items.
Unlike Super Smash Bros., players won’t have a unique kit of abilities specific to their character. Instead, Rumbleverse players will be able to search and equip abilities of different rarities found in loot boxes spread across the map. These abilities are effectively professional wrestling moves with various levels of utility. They also have different rarities associated with them, with rarer abilities having extra strength behind them.
Rumbleverse is still a battle royale, however. Players will “cannon” onto an island-based map from a cargo ship as the match begins. They’ll battle each other in a huge free-for-all, knocking each other out one by one. A circular zone will shrink in size over time, though being outside the bounds of the ring will start a countdown rather than do damage. The final player alive wins the Rumbleverse match.
Iron Galaxy is currently hosting a First Look preview event for Rumbleverse, as announced during yesterday’s The Game Awards event. However, those who haven’t signed up for the First Look probably won’t be able to get in the game due to its limited availability. The Early Access launch for Rumbleverse isn’t too far away. It starts on February 8 and players can sign up for access now. Instant access can also be acquired by purchasing an Early Access Pack.
Rumbleverse is already confirmed to be free-to-play upon its official launch. Like other free-to-play games, Rumbleverse will have a battle pass as well as microtransactions for cosmetics, along with its own premium currency. Rumbleverse will also support cross-play between all supported platforms, including cross-progression. Expect to hear more about Rumbleverse before its February 8 Early Access beta arrives.
Rumbleverse launches in 2022 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
