Sweet, Sweet Starhawk BETA News!!!

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Sweet, Sweet Starhawk BETA News!!!

Boy, do I have some exciting news to share with all of our Warhawk fans today, but first, let me serve you all some delicious hors d’oeuvres de internets!

We were so happy with the response to Starhawk at PAX that the SCEA marketing machine leveled-up, cast Videozzaga and summoned a quick video of our Santa Monica Sr. Producer Harvard Bonin talking with people at the show in Seattle after they got hands-on with Starhawk!



Not only was it great to see people loving Starhawk at PAX, the team and I love seeing coverage and buzz about the game start to pick up speed. And with our announcement last week that early access keys for the Starhawk Public Beta will be included in Uncharted 3, well… things are now moving forward at ludicrous speed! It was great to read all the comments, tweets and Facebook posts from players who are just now getting introduced to Starhawk’s gameplay and universe and the LightBox Interactive team and I can’t wait to see all of you online in early 2012!

But Dylan, you ask, what about now? Did you forget about us? What about all of the die-hard Warhawk fans who waited patiently for Starhawk to emerge from the shadowy nether regions of game development?

Five words: Private. Beta. Starting. In. November!

Let me explain.

Normally before a team releases a Public Beta for a game, the dev team goes through a phase known as the closed beta or “Private Beta.” This is when the dev team works very closely with a small group of colleagues from the publisher, quality assurance (QA) team, or very close friends to make sure things are solid, the gameplay is tuned, big bugs are squashed, etc. It’s all about a tight feedback loop and close interaction with the developer.

And we want the team here at LightBox Interactive to have that close communication with our Warhawk fans! Even as I write this blog post I’m still blown away that SCEA has approved this!

Ok, let’s break it down:

We’re going to be starting the Private Beta in November and we’ll be sending a bunch of our Warhawk players (European players too!!) special email invites with Starhawk Private Beta keys. We’re going to be letting players into the Private Beta in waves so we can manage the server load, watch the game balance analytics, etc. The order in which players are granted access is a dark art known only to Sith-IT-Managers and Gywn, Lord of Cinder. But, suffice it to say it’s a mix of your rank/level in Warhawk, your involvement in the Warhawk community, and a few other magical parameters.

So keep checking your email like a Hawk!

Like what I did there?

SCEA has setup a secure forum where all the Warhawk players that are granted access into the Starhawk Private Beta will be able to talk directly with me, and some of our other team members here at LightBox Interactive. We’ll be posting our special PlayStation Network handles so you know when you’re playing with one of us online and we’ll be on VOIP in-game so you can talk directly to us if you want to!

We’re really looking for lots of feedback to help make sure Starhawk is as solid and tuned as possible. So we’ll be actively requesting comments on tuning changes and other game updates that we’ll be making to Starhawk throughout the Private Beta.

And this is a *key* part of the process because we are going to be validating our SkillScore player ranking system as well as weapon and Build & Battle game balance. Our new Hot-Fix system lets us really keep up with the demands of the community so we’ll be trying to push updates almost every day.

We’ll be going into more details on which features will be included in the Private Beta in the coming weeks, but for now, I hope our Warhawk player community is as excited about this opportunity as we are!!!

And for all the Warhawk players that are going to be helping us play Starhawk during the Private Beta, we have a special “gift” planned for all of you when Starhawk is officially released. Oh the
anticipation… THE ANTICIPATION!!!!!

*deep breath*

Ok…what’s next? Oh yeah…

And lastly, no blog post would be complete without my obligatory mention of our website, www.StarhawkTheGame.com —so keep tabs on it because SCEA will be updating it with all the latest as things really start to get rolling for Starhawk!

Rock on!

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149 Comments

13 Author Replies

  • omg this is THE online game to play next year !!! i have huge , i mean HUGE expectations for starhawk , i think this is the only title that could beat what i consider my best online experience on the system thus far , yeap that would be “Warhawk ” , couldnt get the platinum trophy but i got to 71 % not bad uh ? but this time i will try for that platinum

  • FIRST and schwweet gonna be playing that one

  • dangt remanutd5 YOU STOLE MY THUNDER!!!!

  • This is going to be EPIC!

  • at 3 lol , sorry man didnt mean to , hey i have a question for Dylan , have you guys thought about making a ps vita game ? i mean something like starhawk or warhawk ? i think it would be pretty neat to take starhawk on the go while we are not on our ps3s , besides i think it would be the perfect game to showcase vita online capabilities and Dylan i think all games should have an option to upload video gameplay to youtube so think about it for your next project

    • We have talked with SONY at all about any PS Vita development yet but who knows what the future holds!!! :-)

      And we know that everyone would like a replay feature but we currently don’t support it in Starhawk. That feature is definitely on the list of features for our next game though.

  • I hope I make it into the first wave, I’ve been playing since launch, and finally reached General the other month!

    • I hope you do too — If you’re the rank of General in Warhawk you should be in pretty good shape to get in!

  • Can’t wait…

    Well I can, but I don’t want to.

    I might be moving in November (just bought the farm, literally) but that doesn’t mean I won’t make time for this.

    \o/

  • oh one question what is the current estimate rating for starhawk because i cant play Mature games any response would be great. :)

    • We are doing our very best to hit a T-Teen ESRB rating. Warhawk was T and we know we have a very wide range of ages in our community.

  • Will you have to be a active Warhawk player? I bought the game the day it came out and play it now and again at the moment, would LOVE beta to Starhawk it looks incredible.

  • Very excited. No developer gives back to their fans like LBI. Should I be chosen I would take the responsibility of providing beta feedback seriously. Hopefully LBI will provide some guidance in what areas to specifically test, besides just saying, “Have at it!”

    • I do hope you get into the Starhawk Private BETA!!

      And yes, we’ll be providing lots of notes and direction to our players. Through the forums and through our in-game announcements and news feed system in the Uplink.

  • pick me pick me!!!! So amped for this. Starhawk is gonna be best ps3 game of 2010:)

  • 2012 that is:)

  • Let’s get at it! Best news I’ve heard all year : )

  • Can Japanese WarHawk player join this Beta?
    I cant wait Public Beta!

    • The short answer is I don’t know.

      Harvard, our Sr. Producer at SONY Santa Monica has been talking with our SCEJ team on the details of Starhawk’s Japanese release *and* Beta participation. But I don’t think anything is 100% confirmed though.

      But as soon as we know, we’ll spread the word because we know we have some really excited and die-hard Warhawk fans in Japan!

  • My most anticipated game of next year hands down!

    Warhawk is the BEST online multiplayer game I have ever played. I am beyond geeked out for the release of Starhawk. No other games will be played on my PS3 for a long time after Starhawk releases.

    I hope I get a spot in the private beta, but if not, I know the people that do get in are the die hards and will provide good feedback.

    Starhawk is going to be HUGE!

    • Glad you loved Warhawk and thanks for the kind words about Starhawk!

      If you don’t get into the Private Beta, don’t forget you can get an Beta key with Uncharted 3 which will guarantee you early access to our Public Beta!!

  • THIS GAME IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!…IM GOING TO PRE ORDER IT AS SOON AS I PICK UP MY UNCHARTED 3 CE…WHICH BRINGS UP THE QUESTION…ARE THE PEOPLE ..LIKE ME ..WHO PRE ORDERED UNCHARTED 3 CE GOING TO BE ABLE TO USE OUR STARHAWK BETA KEYS AS WELL? IM PRETTY SURE WE WILL..BUT I JUST HAD TO ASK SINCE IT WASNT MENTIONED..AT ALL! :P

    • Great Question!!!

      So there are 2 phases to the Starhawk Beta: Private and Public.

      The Private Beta is much, much smaller with participants from our team here at LightBox Interactive, our colleagues at SONY and a select group of Warhawk players. That’s it.

      The Public Beta is normally more open however what we’re doing for Starhawk’s Public Beta is giving exclusive early access to people who purchase Uncharted 3. To play the Starhawk Beta during that block of time in early 2012, you will need to have a Starhawk Beta key that comes with Uncharted 3. And man do we have some really cool features we’re going to be activating during that time for all the Uncharted 3 players!!

      Super exciting stuff!

      Honestly though, you should pick-up Uncharted3 even if it didn’t come with a Starhawk Beta Key. I’ve played it and LOVE it. It’s multiplayer is fun as hell and the solo experience is truly unmatched. That’s not a gratuitous plug either — U3 really *IS* that good.

  • I hope those invites are for some old warhawk players! Been playing since 2007!

  • OK I TAKE THAT BACK..I GUESS I SKIMMED THROUGH SOME PARAGRAPHS..ESSPECIALLY THE ONE UNDER THE AWESOME VIDEO..MAN I NEED TO GET MY BUTT TO PAX NEXT YEAR..TO GET SOME AWESOME EXXCLUSIVE SONY GIFTS :P

  • 2000 plus hours for me …I await your invite.

  • bring it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Dylan, you’re the man!

    I have a question though. I reached General literally years ago and platinumed the game easy peasy but after I did that there were no challenges left so, like many other people, I started from scratch on another account and invested hundreds upon hundreds of hours there building that up too. On this account it looks like I’ve been AWOL from Warhawk for ages but the reality is much different. Is the fact that a lot of people did the General run again on second accounts taken into consideration because I don’t want to miss out on Starhawk simply because it LOOKS like I’ve not played Warhawk for a while?

  • That is amazing!

    I know I don’t stand a chance at getting in, despite salivating at the chance (and that’s fine!)

    I’m thrilled to hear that the Warhawk community is going to be involved in bringing the polish to Starhawk. That shows tremendous respect for the game’s biggest fans and supporters and I want you guys at LightBox to know that it’s reciprocated.

    Hope everything goes great. Can’t wait for a date. I can say, without hyperbole, that Starhawk is far and away my most anticipated title of 2012 and LightBox is on my shortlist of up-and-coming favorite developers.

    Here’s to ya!

  • went to the fan festival in austin last month just to experience this…..alll i can say…..2012 just cant be here soon enough, its easily the best online game out now if it was coming in 2011, just because what Starhawk is doing, no one else is doing it on the market. i love sony developers, they really know how to break us out of the old and introduce new, refreshing, exhilirating experiences.

    i seriously would suggest everyone who play get a mic if you dont have one, that was the best and sufficent way to play to plan strategies and assist with building.

    if 3D was added..oh my.

    with all this said, i bought Warhawk day 1 8/31/2007 and ive logged quite a bit of hours into it, but im seriously going back in today and the rest of the month..

    <3 lightbox interactive!

  • So will Warhawk players have guaranteed access?

    I bought warhawk off of the PSN store in 2008 and played till 2010 when MAG came out (but still play occasionally). I bought all the DLC. And I was going to buy uncharted 3, take the beta code out, and trade uncharted in. I JUST WANT IN THE BETA SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BAD!!! D:

    (also I have 7,000-8,000 posts on the playstation forums)

  • I have Warhawk Platinum. I was first introduced to Warhawk from it’s beta(my 1st ever online game) all the way to the full game & I got platinum, But When I got it, that’s when I felt I had completed the game to the fullest and haven’t played since, am I still in the running to get an email?

    here’s my platinum vid

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niLd233kwyo

  • Coool! I used to be on the original Warhawk beta! Hoping i could get into this private beta! :)!

  • That’s really cool of you guys. The comment section is about to become a list of resume’s lol. I’ll trust my rank and involvement in the community prior to this comment to serve my purpose in regards to receiving an invitation. I look forward to seeing you all in the beta soon. :)

  • Wow, I kinda looked like an idiot in two of those clips (left at :31 and 2:20,) just looking back at the booth.

    I did have something to add to the mix, being a part of an apparently small crew that actually played Warhawk, let alone get the game Day 1. The depth in gameplay in Warhawk just got deeper. I’m praying for a beta invite, and so is the rest of my clan!

  • Ohh so happy. Hope I get included.

    I have been playing Warhawk for the last two years almost every day. I am a normal flight player (pro flight makes me seasick :-)). I am hoping that I can use some of my flight skills in Starhawk, even though some say that normal flight has been changed and not in a good way!

    Where can I sell my soul :-)

  • Was that Yoshi playing Starhawk? Does nintendo know? lol

  • dang it dylan, let me in!!! :) lol

  • Starhawk=Game of the Year 2012.

    Thank you Mr. Dylan.

  • BigFitch1012. You will be invited or something is very wrong! :-)

  • Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh.

    Just tell me where the mines are.

  • I’m pretty sure I won’t be in the private beta… I’m only still an Air Marshal in WarhawK >.<

    However I will be in the public beta next year! xD The Beta key comes with a purchase of Uncharted 3, correct??

  • Can’t wait for this!

  • I guess I won’t be getting in the beta. :( I haven’t had much of a chance to play Warhawk in a while and I never bothered to level up my character since it’s pretty pointless. And I’m not buying UC3 so I guess I’m all out of luck. I was really hoping to get in and see how the balance and everything felt.

  • Great!! I wish to play…. I’m waiting for this since E3 :)

  • That`s great news also there is the rift hunter skin that I won from Starhawkradio.com! Thanks Sharp_Dagger for helping the Warhawk community!

    • Nice! Glad you scored the Rift Hunter for Starhawk!!

      A cool bit of info about him (and all our characters in fact) is that each character is comprised of 5 separate “parts”. Head, Torso, Arms, Legs, and Feet. So now that you have the Rift Hunter character, you can mix and match his 5 parts will all of the other Rifter parts in the game — there are tons of different character combinations.

      Also, the Rift Hunter Character is wicked rare with a limited production run of 3000!

  • I had the privilege of playing this at E3 this year, and it was just unbelievably fun. It will not disappoint the Warhawk community. I love that Sony 1st party developers really push the envelope. Great job LightBox. I’ll see you on day 1.

  • Cheers to the Dark Souls reference! I hope you’re enjoying the game, Dylan.

    I’m very excited to hear or see more about the SkillScore ranking system and to see how feature-rich your Matchmaking component will be.

  • Sweet , sweet like a cupcake multiplied by 100 and then a pile of sugar dumped onto it for good measure. Super Sweet ! I hope I get in that would be awesome but if not I will FIND a way !

  • Aw man, and I think I actually got to talk to Harvard Bonin without knowing it! Sorry man, thanks for the details at PAX then!

  • Awesome! I. Cannot. Wait!

  • Dylan! Awesome news about the Private Beta. Had Warhawk since the private beta in ’07. Love it! Anyways, this is on the top of my 2012 Apocalypse Bucket List…

  • Starhawk is one of my most anticipated games right now, and that included the rest of this year.

  • I used to be ranked in the first 200 but for some odd reason my PS3 died and I lost all my stats afterwards (and my game saves). This was frustrating as I was the highest ranked in every room. I come back and Im back to zero. Hope this doesnt affect my chances of being chosen for this private beta. I am really exited and hope to get in!!!

  • I will be very sad (within reason of course) if I won’t get the email for private beta. Though I played Warhawk some what over 300 hours ranked plus unranked splitscreen which doesn’t match anywhere for the top players. But for me putting over 300 hours in a single game is good indicator how much I liked it because there ain’t even over 5 of those kinds of games and CoD ain’t one of them ;).

  • Dylan, have you guys made ‘Just strap it on and go’ the official tagline for Starhawk yet? :P

  • Hi, my name is Mini_Sal and I am curious about 3 things Mr. Jobe.
    I am a platinum general so I was curious whether it is likely that I will be getting into the beta in November. I assume so but nothing is certain in the land of Eucadia as you well know.
    How much input are we going to have on the finalization of the product that will be the eventual Starhawk? Or is this mostly going to be a server stress test over time with minor tweaks as the team deems should be made.
    MOST IMPORTANTLY, are you wearing pants?

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