Crash Team Rumble is launching on June 20, with preorder customers getting access to the beta on April 20. However, as opposed to fan speculation, the game will not be free-to-play, yet will still have seasonal battle passes, which players can pay to upgrade.
The game, which will feature 4v4 gameplay and a roster of characters with different abilities, will be priced at $29.99 for the standard edition, and $39.99 for the deluxe. The difference between the two is that the deluxe will unlock the premium battle passes for the first two seasons, as well as instantly unlocking 25 tiers on the first battle pass.
Crash Team Rumble's closed beta will take place from April 20 to 24, and will be open to anyone with a pre-order on Xbox or PlayStation. No other platforms have been confirmed, despite previous Crash games making their way to both PC and Nintendo Switch.
Much like its predecessor, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, it seems that Team Rumble will feature a bunch of live service elements, including skins and a battle pass. It will also be spread over multiple seasons, although given the fact that this is solely a multiplayer game, it seems that this will be more of a focus with Team Rumble.
Right now, it's not clear if characters will have to be unlocked on the battle pass. However, it's being reported that the beta roster will comprise of Crash, Coco, Tawna, Cortex and Dingodile (thanks, VGC).
We also now also know that each character will fit into one of three categories: blocker, booster or score. Essentially a Crash version of defence, offence, and support. It's not yet known who will be in which camp, but we can assume Crash will be a scorer, given the leaked gameplay we saw earlier today. It remains to be seen if this footage is re-released officially following the leak.