A few years ago, we covered Darewise Entertainment's announcement of a new sci-fi MMO codenamed Project C and powered by Improbable's SpatialOS technology. We even interviewed founder Benjamin Charbit during Reboot Develop Blue 2019.
The game eventually got its proper title, Life Beyond, but its development seemed to progress at a rather slow pace. That's all changing now, as Darewise was recently acquired by Animoca Brands, a Hong-Kong based company focused on investing in the blockchain gaming genre. The investment means Darewise's headcount has grown from 30 to 100 developers starting in Q1 2022.
Life Beyond itself is also changing. There's no more mention of SpatialOS, for one thing, and now Darewise wants to define the Play to Earn MMO genre. It'll be free to play with Founder's Packs goodies and NFT transactions to acquire items, lands, and customization options, though the developers claim to be making these optional bonuses rather than the center of the game.
This new world is yours to explore, conquer, and shape! You will be provided with everything you need to build your own society. From a bartender to a nurse, from a mayor to a mercenary, from a benevolent and sustainable society to a western conquest mindset, join us and create your Life Beyond!
On Dolos, you will discover, fight, and collaborate to try to eradicate the planetary threats such as alien nano-bots. Removal of the threat is just the beginning of the game experience. You will have to organize yourselves and establish your own societies with unique economic systems and governance, all of which will be shaped by you, the player.
Life Beyond has three main game pillars of Pioneering, Settling, and Governance.
- Pioneering: You will be able to explore the mysteries that Dolos’ landscape holds and engage in combat. Tame ancient nanotech corrupting Dolos, collect resources and ancient tech, cleanse ancient ruins in order to conquer regions.
- Settling: Transform conquered regions into lands to be settled and inhabited by other players. Build housing and provide leisure and economic activities for the populace. Trade resources and goods, blueprints, and tech to support a new civilization of pioneers. Deal with thieves and criminals and organize town defenses against attacks from nano enemies.
- Governance: Define and enact the rules of your society. Choose whether to pursue personal wealth and control of your neighborhood, or develop a more democratic organization. Hold elections, organize the market, impose taxes, regulate the economy, define policies, and deploy police forces to maintain order. Convince other towns to follow your model or fight against them to impose your supremacy.
Life Beyond will be the first AAA game of its kind. Powered by Web3 and Blockchain technologies, you will be able to truly own your digital assets and control in-game economies. Life Beyond is a game that will be governed by you, the players, with rich and immersive experiences, and connected by multiple worlds (Open Metaverse).
There's no release date yet for Life Beyond. The game is currently in Closed Alpha (you can sign up for testing on the official website) and is targeting a release on PC first, though consoles are not out of the question.
