After World War 3 the Earth lies in ruins, with all but a small pocket of humanity completely wiped off the face of the planet. A clone-based Utopian society arises, but the strict controls required to maintain such a utopia have begun to garner harsh opposition. This is the world of Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic MMO just announced by Bulgarian developer Masthead Studios.
“This will change the way we play sci-fi MMOs,” said Atanas Atanasov, CEO of Masthead Studios. “Our team is creating a game that will introduce the next innovative approach to the genre, and we feel to MMOs themselves. We based the game in a vision of society’s future, where the technology and economics of today have ensured an unavoidable cataclysm. Earthrise won’t be just an MMO, but an experience in a new, never-before-imagined post-apocalyptic world.”
Players will choose to side with the new world order or toss their hat in with the shadow government seeking freedom from the oppressive regime. It reminds me a bit of the battle between Omni-Tek and the Clans in Funcom’s Anarchy Online, but in a genre struggling to find quality science fiction fare I am willing to forgive Masthead the odd lapse in originality if they are willing to deliver a quality high-tech MMO experience.
PVP sounds particularly interesting, with customizable power armor and mechanized exoskeletons prominently featured – two sci-fi elements guaranteed to get my attention. Add in the intriguing possibilities involved with the potential to episodically reveal what the rest of the world looks like post World War III and you’ve got quite an intriguing little package.
Masthead plans to have Earthrise ready for release in 2009. For more information and pretty pictures, check out the game’s official site at Play-Earthrise.com.
Masthead Studios Unveils the Post-Apocalyptic World
Independent developers to release their debut title Earthrise
January 23, 2008 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Masthead Studios, the innovative independent game development studio based in Bulgaria, is proud to announce its debut MMO Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic science fiction title slated to release in 2009.
In the aftermath of a catastrophic third world war, Earth lies in ruin, and mankind is all but extinct. In a small corner of the world a new society has risen in the years following, populated mostly by the clones of those stored in a massive DNA database compiled at the end of the war. A corporate government has created a seemingly Utopian civilization, but its heavy-handed control over society, its resources, and even life itself has forced a substantial opposition. These rival factions accuse the government of crimes against humanity in its rampant willingness to abuse the cloning process to its own gain. It is at this crossroads that players will find themselves: fight as a champion of the new world order, or take up arms with Noir, the shadow government sworn to overthrow the totalitarian rule.
Masthead has employed its own engine to craft the stunning graphics and atmosphere in the game, as well as to handle its dynamic combat mechanics. Explore the diverse and sprawling capital city of Sal Vitas and surrounding unclaimed territories. Fight with advanced PvP mechanics featuring customizable power armor, huge mechanized exoskeletons, and an arsenal of weapons to control contested lands and their resources. Influence the market-based economy by working for the corporate world or trading on the black market, all based in immense and highly customized crafting and offline play systems. Players will shape the society in the beginning of a new mankind; or they will create their own dystopia.
“This will change the way we play sci-fi MMOs,” said Atanas Atanasov, CEO of Masthead Studios. “Our team is creating a game that will introduce the next innovative approach to the genre, and we feel to MMOs themselves. We based the game in a vision of society’s future, where the technology and economics of today have ensured an unavoidable cataclysm. Earthrise won’t be just an MMO, but an experience in a new, never-before-imagined post-apocalyptic world.”
Further information, initial concept art, game lore and a growing community around Earthrise are now available at www.play-earthrise.com.
[Via kotaku]
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