Crucible’s Harvester Command and Alpha Hunters modes are being retired

Amazon’s multiplayer hero shooter and first big foray into gaming Crucible is going to have two of its modes removed. The announcement came from Amazon’s development studio Relentless Software. It has stated that players have flocked to the Hearts of the Hives mode but the other two, Harvester Command and Alpha Hunters, are being retired as it seems they are not as popular. While we do not have exact figures reports suggest that player numbers for Crucible are rather low.

In a statement, Relentless Software said it was going to prioritise other features including voice chat, expanding ping systems, and surrender options as a matter of priority before moving onto a second phase. The statement reads:

Our plan for this updated game direction will have two phases. In the first, we will build and iterate on the core systems necessary to support this Heart of the Hives-centered vision for the game. We’re starting the first phase by developing the features we know we need: voice chat, a surrender option, a system to deal with AFK players ruining matches, an expanded ping system, and potentially some form of mini-map. We don’t have an exhaustive list of changes yet, but those are some of our top priorities. While we’re working on adding those features, we’ll also be working on improving framerate, hit feedback, matchmaking, and how we teach the game to new players.

In the second phase, we will add additional systems and polish that will help elevate the Crucible experience. A lot of the work in this second phase will depend on what we hear from you during phase one. Right now our plans for improvements in the second phase include custom tailoring the map for Heart of the Hives, improving the creatures in the world, adding support for custom games, and enhanced social system functionality. 

Alpha Hunters is being removed soon while Harvester Command will remain until the player experience has been improved, according to Relentless. The removal of modes so early in Crucible’s lifespan does not do much to inspire confidence in a game that has entered a highly competitive and tough market in which Overwatch currently dominates, and where Riot Games is hoping to make an impact with Valorant.

Source: Relentless Software