Shadow Arena Early Access begins on May 21, it’s free and global

Pearl Abyss has announced that the beginning of the Shadow Arena Early Access is scheduled for May 21. The battle royale game that originated from a Black Desert Online game mode will be available for free globally, allowing players to engage in 40-player battles.

Early Access is the final stage before Shadow Arena starts its official service. Pearl Abyss is looking to implement player feedback in the game and bring its work closer to completion. There's little less than a month for the Shadow Arena team to review the feedback and crucially improve in the game to result in a more satisfying experience.

Shadow Arena offers nine different characters to choose from, a significant change from the previous iteration. Previously, each player entered the arena as a black spirit and had to find one of the the several Black Desert Online classes throughout the land, gaining control of it. The change to a character-based system is a more traditional one, and possibly one requested by players.

There are three game modes (solo, duo, and AI), as well as support for many languages, including English, French, Portuguese, German, and more.