Come Play This New Linux-Native Game With Us!

S2 Games may not be as well known as id Software or Epic Games, but what distinguishes them from most of the other game companies is that they actually support Linux. With S2 Games' Savage 2, for example they provide a Linux-native game client. S2 Games is hard at work on another title, Heroes of Newerth, and that too will be supported on Linux. In fact, it's already running on Linux and Linux gamers will likely find a native client binary around the time of the game's release on Windows (read: it won't be released months or years later, like what we frequently find with Linux ported titles). Sound pretty great, but too impatient to wait for the game's release? Well, come play it with us right now! And for free!

This real-time strategy game is currently in closed beta, but S2 Games has allotted Phoronix Media with 400 beta keys to giveaway, but we can get more too. Laura Baker, the marketing manager for S2 Games, shared with us that "I guess people are especially excited about the game being in Linux." Well, let's get a bunch of Linux gamers on Heroes of Newerth! Let's prove to S2 Games and other game companies the size of the Linux gamer base. At the same time this ensures that this forthcoming S2 title has been well tested and is bug-free on Linux. Of course, S2 Games will be hoping that many of you end up liking the title and purchase it following the game's release.

If you are interested in getting a beta key so that you can come play Heroes of Newerth on Linux, click on the "Comments & Discussion" button below and then make a comment in the respective Phoronix Forums thread requesting a key. We are not looking for a bunch of forum "spam", so please make it more than a simple one-line comment asking for a key, but share your thoughts on Linux gaming, graphics, your hopes for this game, etc. We will then send you a private message on the forums with your beta key. Once you have your key, go to this page to create your beta account and start playing on Linux. The binary Linux download for this game's beta is currently just over 200MB.

So what is Heroes of Newerth all about? Well, we can't exactly tell you. S2 Games has all media under an embargo covering this game. Basically it's an online, multi-player strategy game that is based upon DoTA (Defense of the Ancients). There is a web-site for this game, but right now it's blank and just shows a single screenshot of the game. So if you want to find out more about this game, try out the Linux beta. Since this game is currently in closed beta, we would guess that Heroes of Newerth will probably be released at some point in 2009.

UPDATE: See this thread too. S2 Games has already sent over more keys to suit this demand.