Clockwork Labs (which last month, announced $4.3 million in funding, for the previously unknown MMORPG) has just announced Bitcraft, its new "community sandbox" MMORPG and released its first teaser. At the end of that teaser, it bills the game as "a new kind of MMORPG", and Bitcraft is aiming for those who want to play their own way and engage with community in a world that they can make an impact on.
As a sandbox, players will be able to change that world as they interact with it, change the terrain, work solo or work together to create something bigger. Inspiration comes from different genres, like MMORPGs (naturally), survival games, roleplaying, city builders, and strategy games, and blends them into something that wants to offer something beyond just combat. This means that each character begins as more of a blank slate and can skill up in any direction. Want to be a farmer? Farm. Want to be a crafter? Start making things. The independent studio wants to make its mark in giving one world and letting everyone make an impact on it. They’re even calling it a “community sandbox MMORPG”.
Community and options are at the heart of the design plans. Since the whole world is designed to be editable and open to change, the options for individuals to affect the world and environments will exist, but there may be significant options for communities to spring up and change the terrain, build cities, or even go beyond just one city to creating alliances or even maybe trying to set up empires.
The world isn’t just to be built from scratch though, since you’ll be able to explore and get a taste of the history of where things came from and where they are now as you do so. There is a past, but the future will be community determined.
Bitcraft will initially release on PC. Pre-alpha testing will begin soon, so if you'd like to get in on helping test things out, you can go to the Bitcraft site to find out more about the game and to sign up.
