Ubisoft confirmed that ShootMania Storm, the multiplayer, first-person shooter, is entering its second Beta phase sometime in December.

In addition, the publisher also announced the official release date of Jan. 23, 2013, while noting the following update to the Beta:

• New moves (Laser Jump, Wall Jump, Grappling Hook and more)
• New Game modes: Victory and Fortress
• Opening of the “Welcome Build”: The “Welcome Build” is a specific game build especially designed to offer an easy introduction to ShootMania Storm for newcomers, giving free permanent access to the Royal and Elite game modes.  At launch, it will be free and available to all, but from October on, it will allow all ManiaPlanet existing players to send invitations to their friends who will then be able to download that client. This experience will remain on invitation until ShootMania Storm launches.

The Beta 2 will introduce new game features as well as new tools brought by the updated ManiaPlanet hub:

• ManiaPlanet 2.0
• 3D Objects imports in the map editor
• ManiaCup: This “eSports 2.0” tool allows all players to easily create tournaments inside ManiaPlanet, including player registration and prize pool management
• ManiaTeams: Players will be able to register their team inside ManiaPlanet, track the team statistics and register teams to tournaments