Sign up for your chance to get in on the DUST 514 beta.

Previously available only to active EVE Online subscribers, the closed beta sign-ups for free-to-play MMOFPS DUST 514 are now open to the general public, developer CCP has announced.

To sign up, head over to the beta application page and enter your email address. If you’re accepted into the beta, you’ll receive an email invitation from CCP along with instructions on how to play the game.

The closed beta date is unannounced at the moment, but if you’re an EVE Online subscriber who previously signed up for the beta or an EVE Fanfest convention attendee, you stand a chance to test out the game as soon as this week and should receive a beta key later today, according to CCP.

DUST 514 is a persistent shooter set in the same universe as EVE Online, with player choices in the game affecting the world of EVE Online and vice versa. The game is expected to launch exclusively for the PS3 in 2012 and will be made available as a free download via PSN.

Hi-Rez’s godly MOBA gears up for beta.

MOBA fans eager to get a taste of Hi-Rez’s action-based MOBA game, SMITE, only have to wait two more weeks. Hi-Rez announced on Wednesday that the closed beta test for SMITE will begin on May 31st, opening the doors to everyone who pre-ordered the game’s starter pack and select others who were picked for the beta.

SMITE is a free-to-play third-person action MOBA (much like Land of Chaos Online and Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes) where gods from various mythologies meet up and indulge in some friendly, godly conversations. Well, actually, no. They SMITE!

The game starts off with 5 gods – Ra, Kali, Ymir, Sun Wu Kong, Artemis, but lets you play as more gods later on as you advance through the ranks or decide to fork out some cash.

Those who pre-order the game’s starter pack, which unlocks 10 additional gods (Zeus, Hades, Anubis, Vamana, Agni, Odin, Hel, Au Kang, He Bo and Bastet), will have guaranteed access to the closed beta. The starter pack costs $19.99 USD and is available for pre-order at the pre-order page.

If you aren’t quite ready to part with your $20 yet, the beta applications are still open and you can try your luck by signing up for a chance at a beta key on the game’s official website.

Divina approves of this beta.

The closed beta test for Gamania’s fantasy MMORPG Divina will launch later today, the company has announced. Dubbed “The May Madness Beta”, the beta test will run for five days from May 16 at 10:00AM PDT to May 20 at 11:59PM PDT.

This latest beta test will introduce open world PvP to the game for the first time and feature a number of in-game events. Here’s the list of events you’ll see in the beta:

For more details on Divina’s closed beta, check out the game’s official website.

Note:
* If you participated in the last beta test then you don’t need to a beta key to play the game.
* You get 5 extra keys when you activate a key.
* The beta test runs from May 16 – May 30 GST.

WEBZEN Inc. (WWW.WEBZEN.COM), the Next Generation of Free-to-Play Online Games, announced the final closed beta test for the Action RPG ‘C9 (Continent of the Ninth Seal)’ where the online tournament of the ‘2012 C9 Championship Tournament’ will begin.

From May 17th to the 31st, WEBZEN will open the final closed beta test for ‘C9’ where the online tournament for the ‘2012 Championship Tournament’ will take place. The top 2 qualifying teams will be determined to head off to the finals in Los Angeles, U.S.A.

The online tournament will finish up to the semi-finals, and on June 6th the final top 2 teams will compete at Los Angeles, U.S.A. for the $10,000 (USD) grand prize. WEBZEN will provide the final’s live footage through live stream on the official C9 website.

The registration for the tournament had finished last May 10th through the official homepage and 32 teams have been selected for the seeding. Among the participants, there are experienced e-sports and online game clans that will add more competition to the tournament.

Also, WEBZEN is inviting 30 users to participate in the final match held in Los Angeles. The registration for this invitation can be entered through the official C9 Facebook page.

Meanwhile, during the final closed beta test, a new character ‘Berserker’ will be revealed. As an advanced class of the fighter, the ‘Berserker’ has the most powerful physical attack power using its two handed sword. Users who participated in the Tournament Registration Test last April will be able to continuously play where they left off without creating a new character or enjoy the newly revealed ‘Berserker’.

Jihun Lee, Head of Global Publishing, said, “During the finals of the championship tournament, C9’s Producer and developers will join us to add to the excitement.” Also he said, “Users or clans who have not qualified for the tournament, please keep interested throughout the final CBT to find out who the final qualifiers for the 2012 C9 Championship Tournament will be.”

More information about the Action RPG ‘C9’ can be found at the official Facebook community and website.

It’s like Gears of War, only without the chainsawing and blood.

The closed beta test for Mercenary Ops, Kalends Publishing’s upcoming free-to-play third-person shooter, is scheduled to begin on June 20, the publisher has announced.

Developed by Yingpei Games (a subsidiary of Epic Games), Mercenary Ops is a third-person shooter featuring a slew of multiplayer game modes, including competitive game modes such as Team Deathmatch, Demolition, Elimination and cooperative game modes that pit 8 players against “deadly hordes of AI controlled enemies and mini-bosses”.

The game will have a cash shop at launch that lets players unlock and customize weapons and equipments through special upgrades, of which Kalends Publishing says can also be earned in-game.

“Balancing is always a major concern when it comes to online shooters, especially when they are free-to-play,” said Mercenary Ops Producer Jason Sharp. “Because of this, we have committed heavily to testing the game internally and have even invited some of the world’s best professional gamers for their invaluable feedback.”

“With the launch of our closed beta we will have the chance to garner even more feedback, this time from general shooter fans.”

Closed beta applications are now being accepted at the official website and you can stand a chance to win a beta key by “liking” the game on Facebook.

Mercenary Ops is expected to launch this summer for the PC.

Sandbox MMORPG rises from the ashes; goes free-to-play.

The Wuppertal-based studio SilentFuture has acquired Earthrise and is currently working on rebooting the troubled sandbox MMORPG. Earthrise will receive a new background story set during the apocalypse, instead of after, along with improvements to gameplay and technology.

“With Earthrise, we’ve taken over an MMO with enormous potential for development,” said SilentFuture CEO Daniel Schemann. “That’s why we started revamping Earthrise earlier this month together with a team of experienced programmers.”

“First we intend to address known issues in design and technology, during which we will be focusing on fundamental factors such as network and server performance. But we won’t be neglecting the story and the gameplay, either.”

“Our goal is to present players a gaming experience in the near future which is as exciting as it is varied!”

Earthrise was poised to go free-to-play late last year but was shut down last February because developer Masthead Studios felt that the game was “released too early and did not meet the expectations of its fans”.

The new Earthrise will launch in Q4 2012 as a free-to-play game. For more information, check out the official website.