Arkheron: Bonfire Studios Drops First Trailer and Alpha Dates
Bonfire Studios has unveiled its debut title Arkheron with the release of the first trailer and the announcement of an upcoming weekend playtest.
Arkheron is a fast-paced, dynamic PvP game where 15 teams of three battle to ascend a mysterious Tower built from fragments of their life before. In Arkheron, items are the heroes, each one imbued with unique abilities that shape how you fight, adapt, and outplay other teams. Players build their strategy and playstyle on the fly by looting and combining items in real time, creating unique builds every match.
Watch the Arkheron reveal trailer below :
Players can sign up now on Steam for the upcoming playtest weekend. Queues for the main game mode will be open during the following times:
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North America, South America and surrounding island countries:
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Friday Sep 19 – 11:00am to 11:00pm PDT
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Saturday Sep 20 – 11:00am to 11:00pm PDT
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Sunday Sep 21 – 11:00am to 11:00pm PDT
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Europe, Russia, EMEA, and Africa:
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Friday Sep 19 – 5:00pm to 11:00pm CEST
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Saturday Sep 20 – 11:00am to 11:00pm CEST
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Sunday Sep 21 – 11:00am to 11:00pm CEST
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Most of Asia as well as Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific:
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Saturday Sep 20 – 11:00am to 1:00am (Sun) KST
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Sunday Sep 21 – 11:00am to 1:00am (Mon) KST
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Monday Sep 22 – 6:00pm to 1:00am (Tue) KST
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Alongside the reveal, Bonfire Studios CEO Rob Pardo shared insights into the development journey and what players can expect from the Alpha in a blog post.
Developing Arkheron has been a long and challenging journey for Bonfire Studios. As with many game projects, ideas that seemed great on paper had to be tested, discarded, and reworked until they truly felt right in play. Combat proved to be the most difficult part of development. "We tore down and rebuilt the combat four separate times before we finally found the right version," says Bonfire Studios. "What we have now is something rare, a game that looks familiar at a glance, but when you play, you realize it's authentically unique."
Watch the Explainer Video Can be Viewed Here:
A daily playtest ritual became the heartbeat of the game's development, with the team playing every morning, reviewing what worked and what didn't, and implementing changes before the next day's session. "That loop keeps us focused on what's actually fun," explains the team.
As Arkheron evolved, the studio gradually expanded its playtesting circle, first to friends and family, then to experienced competitive players, to push the game further and collect meaningful feedback.
Earlier this year, a private playtest connected Arkheron with players from a wide range of competitive backgrounds. These sessions provided insight not just into player preferences, but also into running the game as a live service.
With the upcoming Alpha, Bonfire Studios is taking the next step by opening Arkheron to thousands of new players. "Arkheron has a steep learning curve, and onboarding is still early," the team notes. "Matchmaking, bots, and tutorials are in a prototype state, but this playtest is how we make the game better together. Your feedback will shape Arkheron as we move toward launch."
For additional information about Arkheron: https://www.arkheron.com
