With Population Zero a new survival MMO is being released that aims to “reshape the survival genre”, according to its own website. Currently, only a closed beta is running, but there are some details about the game already.
What is Population Zero? In Population Zero, you play as a colonist who crashes on the way to their new colony in space and lands on an unknown planet. There, dangerous enemies and surreal biomes await you, where you need to survive.
You are free to cooperate with other players, gather resources, and build bases. The goal is to explore the world you have landed on and uncover the secrets of those who were here before you.
All of this sounds a bit like RimWorld, one of our best survival games of 2019, or even like a No Man’s Sky as an MMO.
When and where will the game be released? Currently, a closed beta is running on PC, which players can enter by purchasing a Founder’s Pack for at least €9. However, this will only last until Monday, September 23.
On Steam, Population Zero will not be released for the time being. It will come with its own launcher. A release date has not yet been announced.
Will there be more information? News from the developers is shared on the official website. There probably won’t be any community opinions in the near future, as the beta is under a non-disclosure agreement. So those of you participating will not be able to share your experiences either.
What makes Population Zero so special
This is how the world evolves: In Population Zero, there is an ecosystem that, according to developer information, you can apparently influence. The creatures of the world have both individual and collective behavior.
Both behaviors are controlled by an algorithm that changes when you intervene in the ecosystem. It sounds like you cannot just wildly farm amounts of meat and leather, but must ensure that everything stays in balance.
There are also said to be different biomes, such as a jungle and a desert. How much this affects the game and the behavior of the NPCs is still uncertain.
This is how the interaction works: The social aspect sounds similarly interesting. The developers speak of a “fight for survival” in which you can team up with other players in groups and even factions.
These then spread across the world in the form of camps and can either fight over resources or form alliances. Large alliances can eventually wage war against one another if it comes to that.
