As civilization prepares for an impending ice age, a twisted new project emerges, half science experiment and half live-entertainment. It's called Darwin Project and it challenges participants to survive the cold and fight to the death in a treacherous, snow-covered arena.

Darwin Project takes the battle royale genre up north to the Canadian Rockies. Set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop, an impending ice age has kick-started a twisted new reality show, in which participants must fight to the death to earn their survival. Other combatants won’t be players’ only worries though, as the harsh climate will put even the most hardened survivalists to the test.

Darwin Project offers a competitive multiplayer third-person experience with an emphasis on survival. Players must withstand extreme environmental conditions, track opponents, craft tools, set traps, and even negotiate temporary alliances to be the last one standing at sunrise.

Last month, battle royale fans from around the world came together to compete in Darwin Project’s first Closed Alpha Weekend, resulting in over 1.5 million views on YouTube and more than 11 years of watch time on Twitch.

Following up on this successful weekend, Scavengers Studio is excited to announce that combatants will have another chance to return to the snowy battleground. Beginning Friday, December 15, Darwin Project’s PC servers will go live once again for a weekend of axe and arrow-related fatalities.

As with before, the Closed Alpha Weekend will run from:

Start: Friday, December 15 at Noon PT / 3:00pm  ET / 9:00pm UTC +1

End: Sunday, December 17 at 9:00pm PT / Midnight ET / 6:00am UTC + 1

This time however, any player will be able to take on the role of the Show Director, a new feature that’s changing the face of the battle royale genre. Rather than hitting the ground as a combatant, the Show Director surveys the arena as a floating, omnipotent, power-tripping drone. Not only does the Show Director have the best view of the carnage that’s unfolding below, but they have access to a range of unique abilities that allow them to turn the tide of battle in an instant.

Want to single out a particularly stealthy player and make them visible on everyone’s maps? Launch a Manhunt! Notice a team that’s decided to set up camp in a far-off zone? Drop a nuke, eliminating their zone from play altogether. As the match progresses, the Show Director’s arsenal of abilities grows, meaning there’s no shortage of ways to shape the arena to their will.

In addition to opening the Show Director up to all Closed Alpha players, Scavengers Studio will also be taking to Twitch ahead of the weekend festivities for a special dev stream, as they present the main highlights of this new patch and feature a ShowMatch with their special guests. Not only that, but as a player of this special Christmas Closed Alpha, you’ll be rewarded with an exclusive, cosmetic Christmas item once the game launches!

While players who participated in the first Closed Alpha will automatically gain access to the second round, new players should keep it locked to Scavengers Studio on Twitter for more information on how they can get in on the action.

Darwin Project is currently in closed pre-alpha and slated for launch on Xbox One and PC in spring 2018.