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United Front's 'Smash + Grab' open beta hits Steam this weekend

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Sleeping Dogs developer United Front Games is hosting a free playable preview of its upcoming multiplayer brawler Smash + Grab this weekend, and players can secure a spot in the open beta via Steam Early Access.

Taking place within a “corporate urban dystopia,” Smash + Grab is a cooperative multiplayer action game in which competing street gangs aim to loot storefronts, steal valuables, and cause as much destruction as possible within a limited time frame.

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In Smash + Grab, players assemble five-person gangs consisting of a leader, a lieutenant, and three soldiers. The game offers multiple character classes, giving players access to an arsenal of melee and ranged attacks. Completed matches earn players experience points, which can be used to level up characters with stat-boosting perks.

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The upcoming beta will give players an early taste of Smash + Grab‘s chaos-fueled gameplay, which merges melee combat with weapon-crafting mechanics. Improvised weaponry can be crafted mid-match using supplies looted from the surrounding environment, giving strategy-minded teams a leg up on the competition.

Developer United Front Games’ previous credits include the open-world action game Sleeping Dogs and the racing-themed LittleBigPlanet spinoff LittleBigPlanet Karting. Contrasting Sleeping Dogs‘ narrative-driven gameplay, United Front notes that Smash + Grab is “designed to be instantly fun and rewarding as a ‘pick up and play’ online experience.”

“Smash + Grab combines our love of competitive online games with our expertise in action mechanics and hand-to-hand combat, sharpened during our development of Sleeping Dogs,” said United Front Games CEO Stephen Van Der Mescht. “The playtesting rivalries got pretty intense in the studio during development, and we hope to see the same reaction on a bigger scale with Smash + Grab’s Early Access launch.”

Smash + Grab‘s open beta premieres Friday, September 9 at 9 a.m. PT, and continues through Sunday, September 11 at 10 p.m. PT. Players can claim a beta key via United Front’s website while supplies last.

Smash + Grab launches via Steam Early Access later this month.

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