Black Mesa Hits Version 1.0, Beta Testers Needed For Achievements, Bugs

Five long years after first hitting Early Access, the Half-Life fan remake Black Mesa is finally ready for a Beta 1.0 launch.

Now that the feature-complete version has hit Steam (for players who opt-in to the Black Mesa Beta), development crew Crowbar Collective is on the hunt for testers to wrack up achievements and look for bugs.

When that process is finished, Black Mesa will finally have the full launch version on the horizon, with a 2020 launch window currently planned. Of course, the actual release date for leaving Early Access is still up in the air, as Black Mesa has been in development and released in various versions since as far back as 2005.

Here’s what Crowbar Collective had to say about seeking fan feedback:

What we are looking for — most importantly, game breakers. We obviously want the 1.0 experience to be as smooth and enjoyable as possible, so if you find any crashes or progression blockers, please let us know so we can fix it. The game has been very stable during our internal testing, but we need to test on a wider set of players and machines.

We are also looking for difficulty spikes. Throughout all of earthbound we rebuilt combat spaces and upgraded the AI of the HECU and Vortigaunts. We think this dramatically improves the combat in the game. Let us know what you think, and let us know if there is a section that feels too hard.

Check out the full announcement from Crowbar Collective and info on how to opt-in for the Black Mesa Beta 1.0 version over here.

While we’re probably never going to see a true Half-Life 3, a new official Valve game in the series is finally in the works. The VR-only Half-Life: Alxy is currently in development and expected to land at around the six-hour mark. The game will be released on March 23. 

Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more news on the full Black Mesa launch and the upcoming release of Half-Life: Alxy.