It’s not every day that we hear about a brand-new MMORPG that’s already out, but today is one of them: It’s a Roblox-esque kid-centric MMORPG called NEO 2045 by Australian dev VR Realms. The game apparently launched earlier this month on Steam, the Apple Appstore, and Google Play, but the reviews on all three platforms aren’t exactly singing its praises, as early players say it simply wasn’t ready for launch, which seems believable since we’d never heard of it. Today’s press release says it’s in global “open beta” and nearing a full launch “in a few months,” but it’s flagged as a launched product on those platforms, which seems to be contributing to the higher expectations.
“NEO 2045 is a sci-fi action MMO for all ages with a vast open world with different Player Realms that focus on various aspects of gameplay to ensure a great time for everyone, regardless of their play style. Looking for a fast-play, multiplayer game experience? There are loads of single and multiplayer mini-games accessible through various arenas and locations, such as the Lazer Tag Arena, Robot Stadium, Avatar Sports Stadium, Comedy Club, Nightclub, Astro Training Center, Water Park and Arcade. Or if you are after more of a social, community experience, you can interact with other players in one of five fun and safe social Realms, including the Forest Realm, Arctic Realm, Desert Realm or the Ocean Realm. Or if what you really want to do is build and create, then head to your very own customizable Player Realm where you can terraform mountains and valleys and build structures and vehicles using dynamorphic components that connect seamlessly.”
If you’re curious about how the game will handle safety for the kids the game is hoping will make up its playerbase, you’ll have to go digging not into the parents portal but into the support page, where VR Realms says it’s using a “multi-layered” phrase filtering system in chat that will “ensure that personally identifiable information and offensive language cannot be used in the game.” It also says it’s using live community moderation tools to keep the space clean. (The fact that this info isn’t at the very top of the website as a primary selling point for clueless parents and is instead brief, vague, and buried in a support page is a bit weird for a kids MMO.)
VR Realms, incidentally, appears to be owned by Bubble Gum Interactive, whose most notable product seems to be another mobile game.
