Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla) is working with a development studio on Space Nation Online, a new SciFi MMORPG. The first gameplay reminds one of EVE Online. However, one detail of the game might make it uninteresting for you.
What do we know about the game? Not much yet. Space Nation Online is set to become a AAA MMORPG with a budget of at least 40 million dollars. The aim is to provide an exciting adventure in the vastness of space.
- You will take on the role of a spaceship captain who can join one of three factions. These assign various tasks, from attacking enemies to building new space stations and engaging in peaceful negotiations.
- Other key elements include mining, production, and trading with other players.
- The game world is supposed to be huge, and with the help of Stargates, you can cover great distances in a short time.
- You can walk with your character over ships and space stations, interacting with NPCs and other players.
Space Nation Online aims to connect players from Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. In plain terms, this means: there will be NFTs and blockchain, players can earn real money, but even users who are not interested in that should still be able to enjoy some fun times.
They want to combine “Play4Fun and Play2Earn,” they say. So far, however, most MMORPGs involving cryptocurrency have failed or at least couldn’t attract a large player base.
Here you can watch an initial gameplay trailer:
4 big names are behind the project
Who founded the studio? Behind the game are primarily 4 individuals prominently mentioned on the website:
- Jerome Wu worked at Blizzard from 2006 to 2014 and was involved in the release of WoW in China.
- Tony Tang was part of Digital Extremes from 2017 to 2020 and was responsible for Warframe among other things.
- Marco Weber, a film producer and tech nerd, who since 2016 has founded a company around VR with Roland Emmerich.
- Roland Emmerich, a director and film producer, who has supervised Independence Day, 2012, and many other films.
Together they want to establish a new MMORPG with Space Nation Online. You can find more details in the whitepaper (via SpaceNation).
When will it be released? The MMORPG has been in development for about 3 years, and the first alpha tests are set to start in August. The open beta is planned for 2024. There is no release date for the finished version yet.
The game is also supposed to be just the beginning of a large franchise. Additionally, a series and short films are planned, which will run under the same name.
What do you think about Space Nation Online? Does it sound like an interesting MMORPG or do NFTs and blockchain put you off?
More MMORPGs in development can be found here: All 59 MMORPGs currently in development for PC
