ArtCraft Entertainment has kicked off the Pre-Alpha phase of testing for its ambitious, crowd-funded MMO Crowfall. It centers on the game’s PVP content, and it’s the first time that backers have been able to dig into the game.
“Today is a huge milestone for Crowfall and ArtCraft,” says Gordon Walton, president and executive producer. “We promised our backers that we would deliver a playable combat prototype by the end of summer, and this morning we officially delivered on that promise.”
Crowfall aims to bring a bit of the Game of Thrones feel to its MMO gameplay, encouraging players to band together in noble houses and merrily murder everyone not wearing their colours.
Some backers will already be playing, but the developers say ”invitations for almost a thousand more backers” are heading out in the next few weeks. The pre-Alpha module adds a PVP Hunger Dome mode, which seperates players into teams and has them scrap it out while a turbulent maelstrom called ‘The Hunger’ slowly engulfs the arena.
“The purpose of the Hunger is to force the teams to compete,” explains CEO and creative director J. Todd Coleman. “As the Hunger expands, the play space condenses – forcing them to take refuge in the keep at the center of the map. In the end, only one team is left standing.”
