Attention, we have discovered something new on the MMO radar: A few days ago, a notable free-to-play MMORPG called Skyforge was announced, set in a brand new sci-fi fantasy universe where gigantic gods and heroes roam.
This news reached us quite surprisingly, but the Allods Online creators have been working “in silence” on Skyforge together with Obsidian Entertainment (known for Neverwinter Nights 2 and KoToR 2). Well, not that silent after all, as I found Russian sources from 2012 during my research.
They also seem to be far along, as a beta is already being discussed, for which you can register right away on the official site.
What We Already Know
The story takes place in the mythologically infused fantasy world of Aelion, where various advanced technologies provide a futuristic touch. Mythology meets future – sounds like a rather interesting multiverse that could have come from a DC or Marvel comic.
Graphically, Skyforge seems to be a real feast for the eyes, according to the images and videos, being state-of-the-art. Fans of a more realistic graphic style are likely to be satisfied here. Thank the gods! This engine is, by the way, a proprietary development.
Notably, there is a mention of a world that is constantly plagued by invasions. In Aelion, you can expect the currently trendy dynamical events – will they be inspired by Rift or Guild Wars 2? The mention of keywords like “free exploration” suggests an open world that invites exploration. Genre-typical, there will also be content for both solo and group players in Skyforge. So far, the hints about PvP and PvE features are less spectacular and very vague.
The combat system takes the same direction as basically all other new MMORPGs: Skyforge relies on an action combat system, with active attack and defense techniques; similar to what is known from console games. The gameplay scenes come very close to Tera, and the certainty that combo attacks will be possible strengthens this assessment.
It gets more exciting with the class system. This is said to be very diverse and also allows for more exotic play styles. No comfort features are missing, as you can switch through all classes and roles with a single character, which can be switched with just one click. This strongly resembles Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn. Character development goes from a young immortal to a powerful god. What might that mean? We will see.
Admittedly, the information is still rather sparse, which hopefully will change soon! At the latest, when the first beta testers are granted access to the game.
Skyforge – an AAA MMORPG?
The developers refer to Skyforge as a “AAA MMORPG”, which simply means that this is an elaborate and expensive project. A larger budget can indeed help immensely in creating a high-quality game. In this case, they even expect millions of players, which further underscores the ambitions. Oleg Shpilchevsky, chief developer of the Allods team, makes it clear:
Skyforge is our most ambitious project to date
No wonder, since mail.ru is pulling the strings in the background, the largest gaming publisher in the East. They last made headlines by distributing ArcheAge in Russia. Can the high expectations be met? If this really is a larger caliber, then we are even more excited.
Given that Allods Online features good gameplay and has achieved several above-average ratings, I had also tried it out and was surprised by the good quality. However, it never went beyond a hidden gem in Germany, as it initially resembled World of Warcraft too much, and there was simply no market for it, despite a free-to-play model (which was also heavily criticized, which was very disadvantageous).
If the developers have learned from their experiences in the past and continued to build on their strengths, we might expect a very large MMORPG (in 2015?)
Finally, here is the announcement trailer to enjoy:
