EMPULSE launches into Early Access

EMUPLSE is now live! The movement shooter has been nothing short of impressive in Summer Game Fest demos and the recent Steam Next Fest playtest. For those who can't wait to continue their run, the game has now released into Early Access on Steam and Xbox Series consoles, with PlayStation experiencing a slight delay due to certification. Check out the details below, along with our SGF preview. We're also working on a proper impressions for the early access drop, so keep your eyes peeled!

After 250,000 wishlists and a fantastic week during Steam Next Fest (read the recap here), EMPULSE Early Access is here! It’s available on Steam, and Xbox Series X|S for $14.99 (Normally $19.99, but it’s 25% off for the first week!) and will be available soon on PlayStation 5 once certification is complete. No microtransactions, no battle pass, no store… no MTX at the start of Early Access, just us building with you, the community.

This blog is a rundown of what you can expect at Early Access launch and how we are approaching the months that follow.

OUR GOALS FOR EARLY ACCESS

We are going the Early Access route because the best version of EMPULSE is the one we build alongside you. Our update cadence will be shaped by player feedback, not by a seasonal calendar.

To make sure that happens in practice, we are committing to a few things:

Regular in-game and community surveys: We will be asking you what’s working, what’s not, and what you want next.
Active Discord, Reddit, and social presence: We will be in the conversation with you, every week.
Frequent updates: New maps, modes, weapons, mech tuning, balance passes, system improvements. Shipped when they are ready instead of waiting for a bigger update.

NEW CONTENT AND RANKED

The Early Access build is a step up from the Steam Next Fest demo in size and scope. Here is what is new at launch:

Drainage: a new map joining the rotation alongside everything you played in the demo.
Mech Bounty: a new VIP-style mode where each team fields a mech. Take out the enemy mech for 5 points. Standard kills are worth 1. Coordination matters.
Requiem: an all-new sniper rifle.
Ranked Playlist: 4v4 across Upload, Control, and Intel. Ten placement matches to set your starting rank. Pure skill-based progression from there. Climb the ladder, and prove your skill. Ranked unlocks after 50,000 Account XP.

GIGS AND THE SPRINT

Gigs are our challenge system in EMPULSE to earn cosmetics, and there are a variety of types to complete: Daily Gigs, Mastery Gigs, Crew Gigs and then there is The Sprint, which hosts phased Gigs for Legendary rewards.

Daily Gigs: Daily Gigs are challenges that refresh daily that give Cred.
Mastery Gigs: Every weapon has its own mastery camo track. Run a weapon hard, complete its challenges, unlock its camos.
Crew Gigs: Every Gig ties to one of the two Crews, Loyalist or Unbound. Each Phase offers 8 unique Sprint-specific Gigs (4 Loyalist, 4 Unbound), with new phases unlocking every two weeks. Pick a side, or play both. Finishing either or all of the Loyalist and Unbound gigs will net you a special Crew reward.
The Sprint: Each Sprint phase is a two-week stretch of Gigs with a Legendary serialized skin as the payoff. The first player to finish the phase gets #1, the second gets #2, and so on, up to #9,999,999. We are excited to see who gets the first serialized weapon with #1. (And who grabs #1047!)

DROPS - ALWAYS FREE. SOMETIMES LEGENDARY.

Drops are another one of the ways you can earn cosmetics in EMPULSE.

Playing matches, leveling progression, completing Gigs, and a handful of other in-game activities earn you Cred. Take your Cred to the Broker and trade them in for an HDD Drop. Each Drop gives you a random weapon skin ranging from Rare to Legendary. Each gun skin can also be found with a rarer “kill counter” variant, which provides a viewable tracker of your kills with that particular weapon skin. Serialized Legendary weapon skins can also be found in HDD Drops. In case you were wondering, the hammer has skins too :)

REFER A FRIEND. EARN REAL CASH.

Every EMPULSE player gets a personal referral code at Early Access launch. When a new player signs up using your code and meets the referral requirements, eligible referrers can earn a real-money payout of up to $5 per successful referral (depending on region and availability). You and your friend both get Cred, EMPULSE’s in-game currency.

We want to put EMPULSE in front of the players who will love it most, and you know your Crews better than any ad we could run. This is our way of saying thanks for the players you bring with you.

There are regional restrictions that prevent us from offering this system outside of the US and EU at launch but we are looking into options to make the program accessible in other regions in the future. Regionally-restricted referrals will still be eligible to receive Cred. More info coming on the Referral Program later today!

TWITCH DROPS

Twitch Drops go live beginning at 11am PT on June 24 and are live through July 8. Here’s how to link your account and how to earn them.

Account Linking: Link your Twitch account to a 1047 Games account to claim Twitch drops. Log in, or create your 1047 Games account here.

Drop 1: Watch 1 Hour of anyone streaming EMPULSE on Twitch

Rewards: