Hybrid beta to launch later this month, gameplay detailed

5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka has said the firm's multiplayer shooter Hybrid will launch with 10 unique maps featuring distinct themes and art this summer. Other interesting tidbits regarding the XBLA title were mentioned as well, so you may wish to traverse below the break to read what else Slaczka told  GameInformer.

According to Slaczka:

• Players won't be able to change factions "on the fly" as the developers wanted to "help players associate and become loyal to their teams."
• No matter which side you play on, all weapons and abilities can be unlocked whether faction-specific or not.
• Units, which are called Drones in the game, have killstreak rewards based off "how many kills you get in a row before you die." Rewards won't disappear should you die.
• AI squad units consist of: Stalker, Warbringer, and Preyon and stay on the map until killed. Up to 18 drones can be on the map at once in addition to the six players.
• The persistent online world war will contain "epochs which have time frames completely determined" actions committed by the players. "It is up to the players to be the catalyst that forces time to eventually reconstruct and a new epoch to begin. It could take anywhere from two to four weeks for this to happen, depending on the skill of the players."
• With each battle your faction gets closer to the collection of Dark Matter which also contains story tie-ins.
• Players can place waypoints in the game so their characters can automatically travel between, adding a new dynamic to the game. This helps the player to focus more on combat instead of worrying where to go next to how to "stay out of the line of fire."
• Sine the game is multiplayer-only and XBLA tend to have a smaller audience than retail releases, the team decided 3 vs 3 would work best. This way, the matchmaking system would work better while providing an "arcade-style feeling" without having to "invest hours in a single session."

The beta for Hybrid will launch at the end of the month, and upon release will run you 1200 MS Points (via Joystiq).