If you recall from our previous coverage, The Culling is a Hunger Games-style multiplayer deathmatch that takes place on a tropical island. There are two main modes. One lets you team up with another player. The other forces you to go it alone.

But Xaviant has realized that some players are colluding and forming temporary alliances. Rather than create harsh deterrents to this unsportsmanlike behavior, the team has created an in-game method of dealing with it.

If the game senses you’re collaborating with another player, you will be put into a “showdown” state when you next attack another player. You and the others involved will need to make a run for the small area and fight to the death before time runs out.

If you leave the zone, you die. If neither of you end the other before time runs out, you both die.

The idea here isn’t to punish temporary team-ups entirely. Rather, Xaviant hopes to prevent impromptu and planned collaboration from becoming the only path to victory.

The Culling is available in Steam Early Access now.

Our Take

I’m always partial to in-game mechanisms that rebalance or otherwise disrupt fun-killing metas. This is a particularly crafty one that I’m excited to see in action.