Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen wants to excite its fans with PvE content such as challenging world bosses, tough dungeons, and a lot of camaraderie. Recently, the developers announced plans to switch to 24/7 testing soon. However, these could look very different and could even be heavily monetized.
Update October 19: The developers have now commented on the rumor and confirmed that a standalone game is planned. This is to be created in symbiosis with Pantheon. It says on Discord:
Regarding some posts you’ve seen this week, we would like to clarify something. The game mode 247 started as a testing tool. We soon saw its potential to stand on its own. We believe that the combination of MMO and Extraction will appeal to a much larger audience than we have reached so far.
This is not a cancellation of Pantheon, as Pantheon and 247 form a symbiosis and are being developed together. If we decide to monetize 247 and it is successful, it could allow Pantheon to launch much earlier than currently planned.
We will explain 247 and what it means for our players in our producer letter on Thursday, October 26.
What is this rumor about? Several alleged supporters of Pantheon have gone public and claimed that the developers of the MMORPG have presented them with the plan for the upcoming 24/7 tests.
However, instead of simply making the existing pre-alpha content permanently accessible to all fans, a standalone game is to be developed. This is also to be monetized to accelerate the development of Pantheon.
In the alleged letter to the backers, it says:
We are now in a situation where crowdfunding has slowed down, and many worlds still have to be built and content created. It does not make sense to continue down the current path. We could proceed, and Pantheon would launch, but that would still be a long time away. We have made tremendous progress in terms of efficiency and speed, but the planned launch is still years away at this pace.
If we manage to monetize 24/7, we can not only potentially generate revenue but also spark the interest of potential partners to invest in Visionary Realms as a company so that we can launch Pantheon in a more appropriate timeframe.
Specifically, a spin-off is supposedly planned, turning into a PvEvP survival game. There, battles should take place in arenas. The spin-off is supposed to be related to Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, so that development does not start completely from scratch.
What do the developers say? On Discord, it was stated that leaks are difficult to avoid in today’s time. However, they have no influence on the current plans of the studio. New information about the test is to come “soon”.
This is the Alpha gameplay of Pantheon from March 2023:
Memories of Ashes of Creation: Apocalypse
What are fans fearing? Many feel reminded of the Battle Royale of Ashes of Creation. With Apocalypse, the developers had also created a standalone game for the MMORPG, which was supposed to use the same combat system and test the servers.
At the same time, the game was equipped with a Battle Pass and various cosmetic items in a shop to earn more money for the development of Ashes of Creation.
However, the game was a flop as it struggled with performance issues but, most importantly, quickly declining player numbers. After a few months, it was shut down.
What Visionary Realms is now planning for Pantheon could go in the same direction.
How is this being received? Very mixed. Some fans say they can understand the step. The studio needs additional revenue to implement the MMORPG. Recently, it managed to convince only a few potential players with the Alpha videos. Much looked too outdated and unfinished.
Therefore, extensive graphic rework has already been worked on. The new stylized comic graphics make a better impression but still not a grand one. Whether this will really attract new players who are willing to invest money in an unfinished product is questionable.
However, there are also fans who are completely against this step. They are disappointed because a new game will naturally slow down the development of Pantheon itself. The studio started crowdfunding back in 2014 and is now in its ninth year of development.
Some even assume that the spin-off will be a flop and that this will plunge the entire MMORPG into the abyss, as the damage to its image and the financial situation will no longer be solvable afterwards.
A theme park with long dungeons and real friendships is the goal
What makes Pantheon appealing? While many MMORPGs have recently focused on sandbox content, Pantheon wants to be a classic theme park game with elaborate quests and dungeons. There will be 14 different classes and for release, 15 dungeons are planned, all of which will take at least two hours of gameplay to complete if you want to conquer them.
Players are to gather in guilds as they did before, embark on adventures together, and lead a sort of second life in the MMORPG.
Many players could immediately identify with the ideas and placed great hopes on the game. However, development has been slow, and the death of Brad McQuaid in 2019 also set the project back. It was not until January 2023 that a first pre-alpha phase started, in which only backers who had invested considerable money in the MMORPG could participate.
What do you think about Pantheon’s step? Do you have hopes for the spin-off, or do you see the step more skeptically?
Back in 2020, a crowdfunding MMORPG was shut down that had big goals:
MMORPG garnered nearly 7.5 million euros from fans – goes bankrupt before it ever sees its release
