Epic "still debating" over Gears 3 beta content

Epic president Mike Capps has told Techland that it's "still debating" over what to include into the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta.

"We know that the Gears 3 beta access codes will be highly sought-after, so our most passionate fans will get the inside track. The beta starts in the spring and, honestly, we're still debating what exactly is going to go into the beta so fans will want to be there from the very beginning to see how it evolves and grows," said Capps.

He added that the idea to include access to the beta with the 360 version of People Can Fly's Bulletstorm was inspired in the part by the inclusion of the Halo 3 multiplayer beta in the original Crackdown.

"I think Crackdown was a really good example. That game was used to drive a really strong Halo 3 beta, but it was also the other way around, too," he said.

"The Halo players were introduced to Crackdown, which was a new IP that they weren't familiar with. Crackdown was an awesome game; I might never have picked up that game if not for the Halo beta. But I'm really glad I did. So, we kind of want to introduce Bulletstorm to our Gears fans in the same way."

The Gears 3 MP beta will take place at some point this year before the main game's release this fall.

Bulletstorm releases on February 22 in the US and February 25 in the UK for PC, 360 and PS3.