Arma 4 announced, new ‘preview’ game Arma Reforger out now

Bohemia Interactive announced two games on Tuesday: Arma 4, the follow-up to its military franchise, and Arma Reforger, a standalone “preview” game using Bohemia’s new Enfusion tech engine. Arma Reforger is out Tuesday in early access, Bohemia said in a news release. It’s the first time an Arma game will be released on Windows PC and Xbox at the same time.

Details on Arma 4 itself are thin — the company didn’t share a release date or any footage. But it sounds like Arma Reforger will give players a small taste of what Arma 4 will be, a way to “showcase the studio’s progress on [its] new Enfusion engine and offer a glimpse of things to come,” it said.

Arma Reforger is set on Everon during the 1980s, the same setting from Arma: Cold War Assault. In it, there are two multiplayer modes: Conflict and Game Master. The standard multiplayer game mode, Conflict, is a team-based one in which players work together to capture strategic positions from their enemy. Bohemia explained that it’s basically stuff such as base building, shooting other players and performing different tasks. You can play either American or Soviet fighters. Bohema said there’s also a “smaller independent force” that players can choose from, which has its own gear inspired by Arma.

Game Master allows users to create mods, and console gamers can also access them. It comes with some software tools, called Workbench, which Bohemia says gives the mod community its development tools.

“Any user with a fair knowledge of C# scripting, should be able to add custom AI behaviors, audio and visual assets, or even completely new gameplay mechanics,” Bohemia said. Artists can also import their creations with simple workflows. Essentially, imaginative players will be able to explore Enfusion to its limits and receive a crash course in Arma 4 modding, well ahead of schedule.”

Bohemia said it’ll keep Arma Reforger up with “continued support” even while Arma 4 becomes a bigger priority. The game is not yet available for full access, although it may be released in the near future.