Crucible Removing Two Game Modes Just Three Weeks After Launching

Amazon's Crucible is removing two of its game modes just three weeks after launch. A statement from developers Relentless Studios was issued last week, noting that the Harvester Command and Alpha Hunters game modes will be retired so that the team can focus on Heart of the Hives, Crucible's most popular game mode. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20059624&captions=true"] Things are changing really quickly for Crucible after its player-base started to dwindle in the first few weeks of the game's release. Yet the team is ready to address the issues raised by the community, adding in hotly requested features like voice chat, a surrender function, and a means to deal with AFK players. As well as the features listed above, the team will be working on "improving framerate, hit feedback and matchmaking" among others. The game will remain in pre-season as the team address these issues, with the first season pushed back until the community and developer agree that the game is ready for it. Harvester Command and Alpha Hunters will be retired in phases, and soon Crucible will be centred around the Heart of the Hives game mode. The game will then be fleshed out to complement this vision with "custom tailoring" for the game's map and "enhanced social system functionality." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/27/crucible-review"] Despite the drastic changes, the team at Relentless note that they're "excited about the road ahead." "We're going to be making a lot of changes based on your feedback, and at the end of this we'll have built a great game together." In our review of Crucible, we scored the game a 4/10, calling the team-based shooter "a slog." "Its ambitious marriage of PvE and PvP has resulted in a whole that's less than the sum of its parts." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.