Visionary Realms is addressing concerns over leaks that they're focusing on a 247 mode build of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen for revenue reasons. The new October Producer’s Letter leads to this head on, with an explanation of what this consideration might mean for the game and the community.
The decision to overhaul the game’s entire art style into something less realistic, but cheaper, was met with negative feedback. Some expressed that the overhaul of what they had invested into was a misleading step. Then came leaks about the possible 24/7 gameplay mode replacing the MMO, .
A 24/7 game mode was originally mentioned in the July Producer’s Letter, as a way for Visionary Realms to collect persistent player data and more information over longer periods to aid in development. Ths mode they created is essentially Pantheon on a small scale, with a distinct sense of urgency. You step into Tamrin’s Gaze, pick a PvE or PvP mission timed instance and do what you will in Terminus, making sure to get back to the extraction point or you risk losing your gear, which can be looted by others.
Word began circulating that Visionary Realms was going to release this as a standalone game or as part of a revenue-generating effort for Pantheon MMO development. “If 247 were to become a revenue source, it could help launch Pantheon sooner than currently projected. But, we are also keenly aware of its challenges,” Including how much this deviates from the original Concepts that people invested in. Yet, since development on both is designed to work in tandem, the additional work required for 24/7 that would not apply to the MMO is minimal.
They bring up that crowdfunding has been slowing for Pantheon's development, and this could be a release that models the future PvP system and helps with funding shortfalls. The MMO will go back into testing next year, and between now and then we will see less web content and fewer news updates.
So what’s next? 24/7 has been added to certain pledge levels and will be retroactively added to any pledge level that contains Alpha access. They don't have a date yet because they're still waiting to get feedback and performance from pre-alpha pledges. So, 247 is coming, but the full terms and plans aren’t settled yet.
Today in the official Pantheon Discord, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. PDT there will be a special Q&A with Community Manager Jamie “Savanja” Henry and Creative Director Chris “Joppa” Perkins in the 24/7 public Q&A stage channel.
Read the full letter over at Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen.
