Extreme sport titles have been few and far between the last few years, but luckily another one, Riders Republic, is on the way. Players will get a chance to play sooner than expected too, with developer Ubisoft Annecy announcing an upcoming beta test for Riders Republic.

Courtesy of the team behind 2016’s extreme winter sports title Steep, Riders Republic looks to further expand on that game's scope with more disciplines to choose from like mountain biking and powered gliders on top of already existing sports like skiing, snowboarding, and wingsuits. The game also looks to include a much larger emphasis on multiplayer functionality, with player counts reaching as high as 50 players simultaneously in a single event on next gen consoles and 20 on current gen, versus Steep's low count of four max players. Riders Republic has been delayed a few times now, but with Ubisoft releasing a beta, hopefully that means the title is back on track again.

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In a new trailer posted to Ubisoft’s YouTube channel, the upcoming dates for a beta test were revealed. A closed beta, meaning that only a set number of players will be able to register in order to participate, is set to begin on August 23 and run until August 25. The beta is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X and players can register on the official Riders Republic website. Beta tests are quite common for online focused games as a way for developers to stress test servers and get feedback. Other titles currently planning beta tests are Halo: Infinite and Gran Turismo 7.

Weighing in between 19 and 21 GB depending on the platform, the beta is set to include multiplayer support and a variety of disciplines. Riders Republic utilizes Ubisoft's open-world formula to create various settings based on iconic US parks such as Bryce Canyon, Yosemite Valley, and Mammoth Mountain. It is unknown which will make it into the beta, though the trailer does show both snow and desert environments.

2016’s Steep was a solid title leveraging Ubisoft’s expertise with creating gorgeous open worlds and applying it to an extreme sports game. With Riders Republic, Ubisoft looks to take the best parts of Steep and inject in some life with greatly expanded color palette. Next-gen consoles should allow the environments to really shine and amp up the player counts to make things more dynamic and hectic. Ubisoft has been delaying multiple titles lately, so Riders Republic has become an important title for the publisher.

Of course, Riders Republic isn’t the only extreme sports title on the market. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 released last year by Activision was very well received, and EA’s teased Skate 4 is highly anticipated. Still, there are no other extreme sports games who attempt to mix Riders Republic’s massive maps and high player counts. The upcoming beta will let players know if Ubisoft is on the right track.

Riders Republic releases on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Source: Riders Republic