Last year we heard about Tibia developer CipSoft entering the PvPvE sub-genre with Persist Online, which the studio classed as “a true, old-school MMORPG – but with zombies, guns, and baseball bats instead of orcs, mages, and spells” set in a zombie-infested post-apocalyptic world. The studio has had dev blogs that showcase features, highlight its zombie survival, and talk up FFA PvP, and MOP’s Bree had an interview with the studio where it made sure fans know it’s an MMORPG and not a survival shooter.
Now it looks as if Persist Online is prepared to make its next major steps forward as a testing strategy for the game has been laid out. Testing will take place over several months using three general “pillars” of playtesters: a pre-alpha group that primarily consists of testers who have been inside the game already and will have full access to the game at all times, a “limited access group” that will invite players who have registered their interest in on select dates to test things like PvP and server load, and a “marketing group” that will gauge the broader appeal of Persist and ultimately determine whether it’s ready to move into alpha, beta, and eventually early access.
Dates and timing for these test phases were not provided, but a related press announcement proclaimed that Persist has “all core mechanics now implemented in the game” including features such as its safehouse and the ring system that represents more challenging and more dangerous yet also more rewarding (in terms of materials) zones across the game world. CipSoft further promises it will expand testing pools and lengthen testing times over the coming months.
