Asteroids is getting rebooted as an open-world survival MMO
And you thought Metroid Prime was a big departure.
Atari is rebooting its classic arcade game Asteroids as an open-world survival MMO. No, really.
Entitled Asteroids: Outpost, this PC-exclusive will put players in the role of a miner trying to survive on the hostile world of an asteroid.
"Asteroids: Outpost reinvents the classic Atari title as an open-world, sandbox-style, survival experience, where players mine, build and defend their base and grow their fortune as they go 'from rocks to riches,'" the publisher stated in its announcement. "While on a massive, unforgiving asteroid, players face the challenges of exploring the asteroid, collecting resources, scavenging for ore, crafting equipment, and expanding their territory as they build highly customised bases - all while forming alliances and fighting off other players in challenging multiplayer gameplay."
So what does any of this have to do with asteroids? Not much, I reckon, but this next description give it a tenuous connection to the classic shooter: "Recurring showers of smaller asteroids represent a source of wealth and a threat as players shoot down these incoming projectiles to defend their claims and harvest their components."
It sounds like this bold Asteroid departure will take after DayZ in some ways, as players decide whether to work together or betray one another in their quest for territory. The game's official site noted that you can "forge alliances with other players to protect your claim... Or jump someone else's."
"We're paying homage to the original Asteroids by incorporating classic features such as asteroid blasting capabilities, while introducing a completely new premise and gameplay," said Atari CEO Fred Chesnais . "Asteroids: Outpost will appeal to both fans of the classic Asteroids as well as enthusiasts of immersive survival games and expansive MMOs."
Asteroids: Outpost is being developed by a new outfit called Salty Games that includes devs who worked on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Star Trek Online. It's getting "technical and infrastructure support" from Arktos Entertainment Group, the publisher behind The WarZ, a game that launched so poorly that it changed its name to Infestation: Survivor Stories. Apparently it sold pretty well though.
What do you make of an open-world Asteroids MMO? Will it have more story than Destiny?
