Arctic Theory, a new Icelandic development studio featuring CCP and EA vets has announced that it is working on an “ambitious MMO”, code-named Annex, for 2023.
In a press release announcing the project, they describe what they're working on as a “boundary-pushing” MMO taking place in “a persistent, single-shared world where nature has taken over the remnants of a long-vanished civilization. By searching for resources, building infrastructure and solving logistical challenges, players will alter the landscape of Annex, creating everything from lone outposts, trade networks and humble settlements to large-scale, democratically run cities of industry.”
Their vision for the game also includes player collaboration and interdependence, in order to fully explore and learn to harness the land and the resources it provides. This means such basic elements like creating tools to harvest resources, transport them to different places where they are of most use, and of course using them. The interdependence angle is fed by the team's stating that they see all the players contribute to a common goal. It looks to be the players that determine whether they successfully collaborate on shaping this world into what it could be, and how all of this work is distributed.
“Whether a lone prospector in the wilderness or a team working to build a factory in a new settlement, the whole of the player base is working together to make their mark in this incredible world. We’re beyond excited to bring this step in the evolution of the MMO to gamers who love the genre as much as we do. It will be a wholly unique playing experience,” the team shares in the announcement.
The studio was founded back in 2020, and has received $2m seed funding this year, with plans to continue raising funds in early 2023. They plan to begin releasing more info on their game, its official name eventually, and more in 2023, with sights set on Early Access in about a year.
For more, you can visit Arctic Theory’s site.
