Raph Koster (Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies) has been working with other veterans on a sandbox-MMO for years. Now, there’s a sign of life in the form of a countdown and a teaser for an upcoming community Q&A.
What kind of sandbox MMO is this? Playable Worlds was first introduced in 2019. The studio of the same name has been around since 2018. With this project, the team aims to create a digital, dynamic world that feels alive and where the community is at the center of everything.
Imagine Ultima Online, just significantly more challenging, modern, and engaging – that’s the promise. Powered by complex simulations and AI tools. Sounds rather cryptic, right? Well, that’s because nothing tangible has been shown to the public over the years.
However, various investors who have poured millions of US dollars into the project during the development process probably know more. In April 2022, a whopping 25 million US dollars was raised in one shot. Additionally, there were scattered quotes such as the one from Mark Laursen, founder and CEO of Bright Star Studios (via X): “Epic presentation. This is truly next-level material.”
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Playable Worlds remains cryptic
What news is there? For a few days now, a kind of countdown has been ticking down on the studio’s social channels (e.g., via X) in the form of questions meant to illustrate how the world of Playable Worlds could function:
- What if … you could actually invent new things in an MMO?
- What if … there were a way to discover secrets in an MMO – and no simple wiki provides you with all the answers?
- What if … it rained and puddles formed that freeze overnight?
- What if … the game would reward you for peaceful gameplay?
- What if … you could be admired and become famous in an MMO for more than just your character level or raid skills?
- What if … you could simply change your opinion about who your character is?
- What if … you could walk through grass to leave a trace if you did it often enough?
- What if … exploring in an MMO actually mattered (for you and others)?
- What if … MMOs actually fulfilled the dreams we once had for them?
- What if … an MMO actually allowed you to reshape the landscape?
What’s behind the countdown? On June 21, 2024, there was an announcement on the studio’s official website (via playableworlds.com) that an Ask-Me-Anything session in the MMORPG section of Reddit is planned for June 28, 2024.
Who’s behind Playable Worlds? None other than studio founder and CEO Raph Koster is expected to provide the answers during the AMA session. You might already know Koster; after all, he was the lead designer of Ultima Online (1997) and the creative director of Star Wars Galaxies (2003).
The team also includes Executive Producer and Chief Product Officer Gordon Walton, who previously worked at Maxis (The Sims), BioWare (Star Wars), and Sony Online Entertainment.
The veterans are also regular guests on panels, conferences, and events, discussing the MMORPG genre as well as current trends and the status quo of the industry. For example: The MMORPG father explains why subscription models still work today.
