Pirate MMO ‘Atlas’ Finally Hits Early Access, People Aren’t Happy (VIDEO)
Earlier this month, The Game Awards provided a look at several exciting new titles, many of which made their very first showing at the widely-publicized gaming event. Of the many that made their debut, one that particularly stuck out was a massive pirate-themed MMO called Atlas, touting the ability for up to 40,000 players to inhabit the same swashbuckling world at the same time.
With Ark: Survival Evolved developer Studio Wildcard heading the project with Grapeshot Games, Atlas was originally to set sail a week after its initial announcement, but a series of delays continued to push the game later and later into December. It seems the waiting finally ended when Atlas recently saw its debut on Steam Early Access, the launch premiering alongside a new trailer and description, which can be viewed below.
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ATLAS: The ultimate survival MMO of unprecedented scale with 40,000+ simultaneous players in the same world. Join an endless adventure of piracy & sailing, exploration & combat, roleplaying & progression, settlement & civilization-building, in one of the largest game worlds ever! Explore, Build, Conquer!
While sailing around with your own crew of scallywags looked like an awesome prospect when first revealed, it seems the continuous delays have soured the attitudes of many of the game’s hopefuls. Over on the official Steam page, reviews for Atlas haven’t been the most positive (“Mostly Negative,” in fact), with criticism being directed at frustrating server issues and an overwhelming resemblance to Ark: Survival Evolved.
Connectivity problems aren’t completely out of the ordinary for an emerging Early Access title, especially for one with sights as high as Atlas. However, the heavy resemblance to Ark is where many gamers have seemed to draw the line, the conclusion being that Atlas is nothing more than a simple oceanic repackage of Studio Wildcard’s survival game. Users have based these claims on the discovery of a hidden menu buried within Atlas which makes direct reference to several of Ark’s single player modes. Check it out below.
It’s apparent that references to Ark (let alone a full menu) weren’t meant to be included in Atlas, and many are taking this oversight as evidence of the game’s status as a notorious “asset flip.” At first this negative scenario may appear pretty likely (especially in this day and age), but it’s also important to take into account the relative differences the two titles present despite their perceived similarities. With little explanation regarding Ark’s unintentional cameo, the debate will nonetheless likely rage on (this is the internet) even as substantial updates make their way to Atlas.
Atlas is currently in Early Access for PC and is set to release for Xbox One Game Preview sometime in 2019.
What do you think? Are you upset this wasn’t the epic pirate MMO everyone expected, or do you feel that Atlas still has potential to become a great game? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
