Nioh 2 release date and open beta announced

Team Ninja has announced a release date for Nioh 2, as well as the imminent launch of an open beta for the action RPG sequel.

The game will release for PS4 on March 13, 2020, but players will be able to sample it later this week when an open beta kicks off on Friday.

Available until November 10, the Nioh 2 beta will enable players to test out the new game’s character customisation feature and a fresh weapon, the Switchglaive.

Nioh 2 producer Fumihiko Yasuda said in a PlayStation Blog post: “As you begin the beta, you will enter into a place called the Interim. Unlike the dojo tutorial from the previous game, the Interim is a safe zone where you will be able to choose your weapons, test out the basic moves and transition to a real stage when you are ready.

“As you move on from the Interim, you will start your journey in a stage called Sunomata. This stage is based on the Sunomata castle which by some accounts was constructed in just one night by Hideyoshi. The experience will be an interpretation of historical actualities combined with a healthy injection of Yokai adventure!”

The game is now available to pre-order from the PlayStation Store in standard and digital deluxe editions. A special edition will also be available at retail.

The original Nioh and Outlast 2 were confirmed as November’s free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers on Wednesday. They’ll be free to download from the PlayStation Store from November 5 until December 3.

October’s PlayStation Plus games, The Last of Us Remastered and MLB The Show 19, will remain free to download for subscribers until November 4.