Ashes of Mankind Partners With Intel Gaming to Integrate New XeSS 2 Upscaling Technology Ahead of Closed Beta Launch

Blockchain gaming platform Ultra and Black Ice Studios, the developers of tactical FPS Ashes of Mankind, have officially formed a tech partnership with Intel Gaming to make the PvP title one of the first games to integrate the new XeSS 2 upscaling technology, according to a press release.

How Does the Partnership Benefit Ashes of Mankind?

XeSS 2 is Intel’s second generation of upscaling technology that competes with Nvidia’s popular DLSS and AMD’s FSR. It launched earlier this month together with the release of their quality new Arc B580 GPU, but was temporarily removed until a recent driver update re-introduced the feature back in. With this new launch, Intel aims to go toe to toe with their rivals to try and deliver its consumers better performance in AAA games while retaining high image quality. It improves upon its predecessor by introducing Frame Generation (XeFG) alongside Low Latency (XeLL).

Through this partnership, Ashes of Mankind: Citadels becomes the first web3 game to integrate the new upscaler, and among the very first games in general to include it. It’s part of a lineup of 10 games that will be the first to implement it, sitting alongside popular names such as F1 24, Dying Light 2, Marvel Rivals, and more.

Not only does this bring significant exposure to this accessible blockchain title to the wider gaming world ahead of launch, but Intel GPU users looking to play this web3 gaming experience will benefit from turning on the features provided by this technology, gaining significantly higher performance while enjoying increased responsiveness and retaining similar visuals for smoother gameplay.

It’s a significant partnership for the blockchain gaming industry overall, as it shows how traditional brands are increasingly accepting collaborations with high-quality web3-powered games as well, even for integrating leading, cutting-edge technology such as XeSS 2.

Next to the integration, this partnership is also said to bring exclusive in-game content and “epic offline activations” to the extraction shooter. Earlier this month, Discord users residing in the Intel Insiders Community server had the opportunity to participate in a giveaway for Alpha Access Passes that grant access to weekly play sessions, with the tech giant even having a livestream of the game together with the studio’s CEO and Creative Director, Adrien David. The full stream is also available on Twitter/X.

The official press release revealed plans to launch the game in closed beta in early 2025. Here’s how you can jump in.

Join the Upcoming Ashes of Mankind: Citadels Closed Beta

Whether you own an Intel GPU or not, if you’re interested in playing the closed beta version of Ashes of Mankind: Citadels, then you can look forward to signing up on the waitlist on the game’s official website. Trying to sign up now is not yet possible, as you’ll be created with a “coming soon” message stating that the beta program is “currently in the planning stages.” Be sure to keep an eye on the game’s socials to be among the first to sign up!

The closed beta is planned to go live at some point in early 2025, with the game set to launch on Ultra, the Epic Games Store, Razer Cortex, GeForce Now, and more platforms. In a similar timeframe, we could also end up seeing tokenomics for the upcoming $ASH token.

As this is currently quite early, we don’t have exact info on what features are included in this beta phase. However, Adrien David was interviewed by Intel Gaming last month, revealing some pre-launch details that could give us an idea of what we could potentially look forward to. Essentially, you can expect to experience a tactical PvPvE extraction shooter set in a dystopian sci-fi world where players compete for valuable loot in a competitive extraction mode through realistic FPS combat. The game will feature a modular loadout system to allow players to create unique playstyles with loads of customization depth that can significantly alter both gameplay and your appearance. So, if you’re looking for strategic extraction action where your loadout and teamwork are essential to a successful mission, then you may want to try and get into this upcoming closed beta.

Ashes of Mankind currently has a Kickstarter page up and running, with 11 days to go and around $70k raised at the time of writing. Pledging your support there could also get you access to the closed beta, depending on the reward tier that you choose.