Bonfire Studios has lifted the lid on its debut title Arkheron, a fast-paced PvP battler where 15 teams of three fight to ascend a mysterious Tower built from fragments of their past lives. Alongside the reveal trailer, the studio also announced the first public Alpha weekend, giving players a chance to dive in and shape the game’s development.
At first glance, Arkheron might look like another squad-based brawler, but its unique twist is that items themselves are the heroes. Every weapon or piece of gear comes with distinct abilities, letting players build their playstyle dynamically by looting and combining items in real time. No two matches will play out the same, and every run through the Tower is a chance to experiment, adapt, and outplay the competition.
Arkheron Alpha weekend playtest
The upcoming Alpha playtest will run across multiple regions, with servers open for limited hours between September 19–22. Players can sign up now on Steam to secure access.
- NA & SA: Sep 19–21, 11:00am–11:00pm PDT
- Europe & EMEA: Sep 19–21, 5:00pm–11:00pm CEST
- Asia-Pacific: Sep 20–22, 11:00am–1:00am KST (next day)
The Alpha will include Arkheron’s main mode, where 45 players across 15 squads compete to survive, climb, and claim victory.
Built from constant iteration
Bonfire Studios, led by CEO Rob Pardo, revealed that Arkheron has been through years of iteration, with combat scrapped and rebuilt four separate times before landing on its current form. The team adopted a daily playtest ritual during development, constantly tweaking and refining the experience based on immediate feedback.
That loop of design, test, and rebuild has been expanded to competitive players and now, for the first time, the wider public. While early onboarding, tutorials, and matchmaking are still in prototype stages, Bonfire sees this Alpha as the next step in co-developing the game alongside its community.
“Arkheron has a steep learning curve, and onboarding is still early. But this playtest is how we make the game better together,” said the team in their update.
Arkheron is currently in development for PC, with console plans yet to be confirmed. You can learn more at the official website or wishlist the game on Steam.
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