The German studio behind the successful title Tibia is working on a new MMORPG called Persist Online, which is set to be released on Steam. You can expect a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies and different factions.
What kind of MMORPG is it? Persist Online throws you into the post-apocalypse, where you must fight zombies with ranged and melee weapons. The key features of the virtual survival struggle are as follows:
- Persist Online offers a persistent, open online world where hundreds of players can move simultaneously and every building is supposed to be accessible.
- You can expect a dynamic sandbox with day and night cycles, weather changes, and tides.
- The world is divided into zones that vary in danger. You will encounter not only hordes of zombies but also mutated boss opponents.
- In addition, there is the bunker as a safe haven where you should find extensive crafting possibilities for weapons and equipment.
- The combat system with ranged and melee weapons (from the robust frying pan to the powerful shotgun) is supposed to be tactical yet action-packed. Beware of stray bullets; “Friendly Fire” is active!
- There are no fixed classes. By choosing active and passive skills, you can give your hero playful individuality. If you are traveling in a team, synergies between skills can open up useful team strategies.
- PvP is supposed to play an important role in the open world, as you can capture claims and nodes. The guild system supports open-world PvP.
What about the release and payment model? Persist Online is set to enter the early access phase soon on Steam and will also be released for macOS and Linux. There is currently no specific date. However, it is clear that the developers want to implement a free-to-play model. The final monetization, however, is not yet set in stone.
Are there already screenshots? The developers have already released some screenshots and artworks of Persist Online. As far as the third-person perspective and the design of models and game world are concerned, we feel strongly reminded of Fortnite, only the colors are not quite as vibrant. What is your first impression?
MMORPG expertise from Regensburg
Who is behind Persist Online? The studio is called CipSoft and was founded in 2001 in Regensburg, Bavaria, after the MMORPG Tibia released in 1997 had developed into a success.
The online role-playing game with its charming retro look has reached 32 million players and 200 million euros in revenue over the years, and is said to be more successful than ever before. Accordingly, the studio has been able to grow sustainably to currently 100 employees.
Besides Tibia, an MMORPG for mobile devices called TibiaME was released in 2003. Both titles are still being supplied with updates and new content. Thus, Persist Online is the first MMORPG from CipSoft for PC after almost 28 years.
Noteworthy: The MMORPG started as a hobby project of two long-time CipSoft employees. Product manager Benjamin Zuckerer describes it in the press release as follows:
The true charm of an MMORPG lies in the diverse interaction possibilities of players and the unpredictable stories that arise from it. This has been shown time and again over the decades we have operated Tibia.
Persist Online started as a hobby project and is an idea from two long-time CipSoft employees. We simply started developing the game we want to play ourselves. The core team now consists of 14 people and can access all departments and the entire know-how of the company.
This is possible because employees are allowed to use 20 percent of their working time for their own game ideas. Also cool: Employees are directly involved in the success of the still independently operating company and are said to have received ten (!) additional monthly salaries in 2024 alone.
How sustainable the success of CipSoft and Tibia is can also be shown by another example. In 2022, the studio was awarded Studio of the Year at the German Computer Game Awards. You can learn more about CipSoft’s success story here: Everywhere people are being laid off, a MMORPG in Germany is paying its employees big bonuses
