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| Hardware: Rivals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | SCE Connected Content Group |
| Publisher | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform | PlayStation 4 |
| Release | 5 January 2016 |
| Genre | Vehicular combat |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Hardware: Rivals was a 2016online multiplayervehicular combatvideo game developed by SCE Connected Content Group and published bySony Computer Entertainment for thePlayStation 4. It was the successor to the 2002PlayStation 2 game,Hardware: Online Arena.
The game gave players the option to play in either Tanks or Fast Attack Vehicles (FAVs), collecting various special weapon pickups such as Lasers, Railguns and Rockets.[1]
In addition todeathmatch, team deathmatch and team dominationmultiplayer modes, the game also featured three single-player training modes, including "Time Trial" and "Target Practice".
The game was first announced on 10 September 2015 and is developed by the SCE Connected Content Group,[2] based in London.
A Public Beta[3] for the game took place from 30 September 2015[4] to 19 October 2015, and was exclusive toPlayStation Plus subscribers. When the PS Events app was released as part of thePlayStation 4 system software 3.00,[5] theHardware: Rivals beta was one of the first titles to make in-game events available such as "4 Wheels Only",[6] an FAV-only special event. The game was released on 5 January 2016.[7]
An update for the game was released on 22 January 2016, which added the "Scarab" FAV and the "Barbarian" Tank to the game.[8] The next major game update, released on 26 February 2016, added a new map, "Mojito Bay", and introduced "Ranked Play", where players had the ability to compete against each other and earn exclusive rewards by ranking up.[9] An update released on 13 May 2016 added a new map, "Bushpig Plateau", and introduced a new team game mode called "Capture the Flag".[10] One last major update, released on 19 August 2016, added a new map, "Eagle Ridge".[citation needed]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 56/100[11] |
The game was met with mixed reception upon its release.IGN awarded it a score of 5.5 out of 10, saying "There is fun to be had, but the novelty of Hardware: Rivals wears thin pretty quickly."[12]
Around 26 August 2021, it was announced that the game's servers would be shut down on 8 December 2021. In addition, the game had been quietly delisted from the PlayStation Store. This announcement was not shared by PlayStation's social media team, but rather via an in-game message.[13]