October 21 Valve sent an email to Artifact beta registrants informing them that the beta has been delayed until next month.
“We have added Artifact to your account but we have a bit more work to do before letting everyone in,” the email reads. “Right now we’re planning for that to happen on November 19.”
That gives beta participants nine days to play Artifact before the public launch, set for November 28.
Two groups of people are definitely getting keys: attendees at The International 8 and those who play the game at PAX West at the end of the month. In addition to the free copies of Artifact both sets are getting, they will have access when the beta launches November 19. No word yet on how anybody who’s not travelling to Vancouver or Seattle will get in, but there’ll surely be a way. (Probably.)
Originally, Valve had planned on starting the Artifact beta this month, and that release window came courtesy of Gabe Newell himself, who announced it at The International. You can see one of those rare public Gabe sightings for yourself on Twitch.
The Artifact release date is set for November 28, and will be available for a $20 starter pack price. Of course, this is a card game, so there will be plenty of opportunities to spend more than that with booster packs coming in at $2 a pop.
We’ll keep you updated on how to get into the beta as we learn more. In the meantime, here’s how to play Artifact, some of the cheap Artifact decks to get started with, and a full rundown of Artifact cards – we’re keeping a full list of everything that’s been revealed so you don’t have to.