Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has been the hope for fans of PvE MMORPGs for 9 years, hoping that a Western team would build something like Everquest or Vanguard again. However, after 9 years in development, the graphics appeared severely outdated. They want to change that. The team shows its new graphics in a new trailer. The reactions are only lukewarm.
This is the idea of Pantheon:
- The MMORPG Pantheon was the brainchild of Brad McQuaid, a game developer who worked on Everquest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game was announced in 2014 and has been in pre-alpha since December 2017.
- Pantheon was meant to bring the spirit of Everquest into a new era: To be a tough PvE MMORPG where you have to proceed strategically and in a group, not just rush through like in modern WoW. The game promises an open world where you can climb almost any surface. It should also be possible to find details and clues in the world through the “Perception system” and even change the world with unique skills.
- However, Brad McQuaid passed away at 50 in 2019, and his heirs continue to carry the game forward.
MMORPG shows new graphics to attract more players
This is the plan of the developers: The team has identified the graphics and art style as a weakness of the MMORPG. The style of the graphics and the overall appearance of the MMORPG have seemed outdated and unappealing to many observers. Therefore, Visionary Realms decided to change the graphic style.
In the Producer letter from August, which we reported on MeinMMO, this decision was introduced. Now, in September 2023, they show the changes in a 5-minute video on YouTube.
Graphic style should be timeless and look fresh for years
The Creative Director, Chris Perkins, explains the considerations behind the new graphics:
Originally, Pantheon relied heavily on assets from Unity; there was hardly any opportunity to think about what the game should look like, but was then on that path.
Now they have taken the time to carefully consider how Pantheon should look and set goals that the game should look as realistic and good as the established competition, while also running smoothly. As a result, they ended up with a “hand-drawn style”.
New graphic style accelerates development already
The Director Benjamin Dean adds: Pantheon should have its own identity, but one that is timeless and can last for years. With the new style, they can ensure that even a small team can build an entire world. Since choosing the new style, development has progressed significantly faster.
The team believes that with the new art style, they can address more players from different demographics.
Fans seem rather disillusioned and disappointed after such a long time
What are the reactions? Pantheon suffers from the same problem as many indie MMORPGs: The games are created without external investors and must try early on to gain a community: they should then finance and promote the game. For Pantheon, crowdfunding failed in 2014, and they were then reliant on an investor to start development.
Studios that do crowdfunding present MMORPGs to the public that are decades away from release. At the time of presentation, these projects only exist on paper and in the minds of the developers.
For players, it then seems as if the MMORPGs are eternally in development and not much is happening. During the development time, players are fed concept art and lofty visions of what the MMORPG is supposed to become.
In these years, fans often imagine what a fantastic MMORPG it will be, one that will blow away all existing MMORPGs like ESO or WoW when it finally releases.
However, when developers finally reach out after 8 years with something “tangible”, showing a first trailer or gameplay images, many are disappointed at how little progress has been made and that it is not as great as imagined.
Ultimately, Pantheon is an indie MMORPG developed by a small team. Those expecting a new WoW will likely be disappointed.
Under the video, fans are rather critical. They say: After such a long time, they have simply expected more.
A comment on YouTube summarizes the voice of these fans well (via youtube):
I have been waiting for the game for almost a decade now (was a hardcore Everquest player back then), but it is really hard to watch this. Unfortunately, I don’t think the game will come out in the near future and when it does, it won’t be anywhere close to what we envisioned years ago.
The dream of Pantheon truly burst in March 2023. The reaction to the first gameplay made the graphical overhaul apparently necessary:
New MMORPG was regarded as the great PvE hope for 8 years – But the new gameplay looks terrible
