It’s been the hottest of minutes since we heard from Age of Water, the self-described “aquatic adventure MMO” set in a flooded post-apocalypse from publisher Gaijin Entertainment and developer Three Whales Studio. The game first was unveiled in 2020, followed by a normal closed beta in summer of 2022 and a paid-for second stage of closed beta this past June (which was characterized as early access even though it really wasn’t).
Now the game is ready to make its next big step: an actual early access launch sometime in the first quarter of 2024.
“The Age of Water protagonist travels on a battle boat between scarce settlements of survivors, fights with pirates, extracts artifacts of the lost civilization from the bottom of the sea, transports valuable goods, performs faction tasks, finds new friends, and uncovers the secrets of the exciting water world. The player can either follow the story or explore the world independently at their own pace – for example, trade between settlements, board other people’s boats, fight other captains in PvP battles, and build their base.”
Early access pricing isn’t tied down yet, but Gaijin has confirmed that those who bought one of those stage two closed beta bundles will be receiving a free copy of the really-real early access title on Steam. For everyone else, the game’s Steam page is now open for wishlisting.
