The latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter publication, gives a beta release date of 20 May for the 1.3 ‘Powerplay’ update.
Elite: Dangerous betas are a little different from the usual “open call for beta players” system you tend to see on PC. Lifetime beta access was one of things it was possible to acquire as a Kickstarter backer.
Post-release, there isn’t really a way to get into the betas. This means the majority of players will be waiting until the beta’s conclusion and the full release of 1.3.
In addition to the upcoming Beta release, the developer also announced the ability for gamers to claim copies of the game to their Steam accounts coming soon.
Elite: Dangerous has been available through Steam since early April, resulting in multiple requests for Frontier to allow retrospective Steam keys for those who purchased the game before it was on Valve’s platform.
According to Frontier community manager Edward Lewis, this will be possible from 28 May.
“Elite: Dangerous runs on Frontier’s servers, so we’ve been working with Valve to give you a way to seamlessly connect your Steam and existing Frontier accounts in a way that’s easy. It’s coming soon. From May 28 you’ll be able to generate a Steam key from your account page, and we’ll have full instructions right here on the forums closer to the time,” his statement reads.
