Highlights

  • Saber Interactive cancels Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 open beta test.
  • The game will continue Titus' story in a new campaign against the Tyranid swarm.
  • Players who registered for the beta will receive a limited Porphyr Shield Bolt Pistol weapon skin.

Developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Interactive shared a bit of bad news with the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 fan community by canceling a planned open beta test period. The Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 open beta test was to take place ahead of the game's scheduled release on September 9, 2024.

Appearing more than a decade ago in 2011, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine wowed Warhammer 40,000 fans with its action gameplay that put players in direct control of Titus, a member of the Ultramarines, the most popular and iconic Space Marine chapter. The series seemed to go dormant until 2021, when an announcement at that year's Game Awards revealed a sequel in the works for contemporary platforms under the aegis of Saber Interactive. Despite years of separation, the new game will continue Titus' story, as he moves to a new campaign against the forces of the Tyranid swarm.

Lieutenant Titus with his chainsword standing over a horde of Tyranids
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Unfortunately, a recent update from Saber Interactive announcing the cancelation of the planned open beta test threw cold water on some fans' plans to get a taste of the game as soon as possible. A test would've given fans a chance to experience the action gameplay of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 directly, and see how Saber Interactive has handled carrying the torch first lit by Relic Entertainment, the developers of the first Space Marine title.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Open Beta Test Canceled

The open beta cancelation announcement was nestled within the Space Marine 2 June Community Update blog post, which also delivered more details about the game's various modes, including Space Marine 2 PVP matches and its single-player and cooperative modes. In the post, Saber Interactive thanked the game's community for its support, and said that it was "entirely" focused on optimizing and polishing the game ahead of release, as well as fixing remaining issues. To that end, running a public beta test online would distract the development team ahead of launch preparations. As compensation, players who registered to participate in the open beta before June 28, 2024, will receive a limited Porphyr Shield Bolt Pistol weapon skin to use in-game.

Open beta tests are often used by major game developers for titles with a significant online or multiplayer component. This is because the large number of players often involved in open betas can provide an accurate stress test of a game's networking and online infrastructure, as well as exposing potential issues in performance with various hardware setups or unusual conditions developers can't themselves easily replicate. Beta access is also sometimes used as an incentive for fans to pre-order a game or subscribe to a service, as is the case with the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beta test.

Despite the development of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 being delayed significantly before, Saber Interactive seems confident in its ability to deliver a satisfactory experience upon the game's full release without involving the wider public.