Publisher Travian Games has released two new trailers for the upcoming MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar. Meanwhile, players from the Baltic states feel neglected.
On March 27, the MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar launches. To kick off the launch, publisher Travian Games has now released two trailers. One introduces you to the game world of New Britannia and showcases the quite beautiful landscapes and places you will explore during your adventures.
The second trailer offers more action and focuses on the cooperative adventures you experience with your friends. Both trailers emphasize that there have been significant graphical improvements in SotA.
Players from the Baltic states must use Russian service
And yet, there is more trouble. Specifically, players from Eastern Europe, particularly from the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, feel they have been pushed aside. The company Black Sun handles the distribution of the game for Russia and aims to take care of the community as well. They have set up their own forums and an item shop. Support is provided in Russian. However, Black Sun is also taking care of players from the Baltic states.
It’s unfortunate that they actually don’t speak Russian there and also do not want to be politically associated with Russia.
Those living in Russia or the Baltic states no longer have access to the official forum or the regular item shop. They are always redirected to the service provided by Black Sun. However, this support is only available in Russian.
Were data forwarded without consent?
Additionally, many players from the Baltic states and Russia are upset because they were forwarded to Black Sun without their consent – including user data. No one gave their agreement for this.
The development studio Portalarium apologizes for the circumstances and explains that only the data necessary for the service was forwarded to Black Sun, while all personal data remains on Portalarium’s servers. However, many questions remain open, such as how a game operator can stay in touch with the residents of a player city when different forums must be used.
This kind of trouble Shroud of the Avatar can hardly afford so close to release. Even though player numbers are slowly recovering, around 163 concurrent players on Steam is not a large number, especially considering that only 35 percent of all SotA fans play through Steam. Annoying a portion of Eastern Europeans and the Russians now is not a good idea.
What is Shroud of the Avatar exactly? Ultima creator Richard “Lord British” Garriott explained the game.
