'PUBG' Developer Bluehole's Next Project Is a Steampunk MMO

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Monday, November 13, 2017

Game studio Bluehole is now a huge name in the industry after their "Playerunknown's Battlegrounds" became an immense hit. However, not a lot of the game's players may know that before "PUBG," Bluehole was making MMOs. The company is now going back to their roots with the announcement of "Ascent: Infinite Realm," and it's already looking to be an intricate, Steampunk-inspired full-featured title.

Judging from their reveal trailer, "Ascent: Infinite Realm" looks like a mish-mash of all the good parts of "Tera," their classic sword and magic MMO, mixed in with intricate mechs, airships, floating cities, dragons and the usual role-playing game progression, as Polygon notes.

The South Korea-based company is no newcomer to the MMO scene, having launched "Tera" and "Devilian" to moderate success. These titles were good enough in their own right, but they never really took off in the U.S. markets and elsewhere.

That's a stark contrast to "PUBG," which just passed the 20 million sales mark by Tuesday, Nov. 7, last week. It's a milestone that threatens to overwhelm the studio with expectations, especially given the current state of the "Battle Royale" style game.

"I know a lot of you are frustrated by issues w/ the game but the team is working hard to deliver a truly great Battle Royale [experience] for everyone," the Creative Director for "PUBG" assured fans.

This pressure has not stopped the studio from aiming high for their next title, however. "Ascent: Infinite Realm," or "A:IR" as it has already become to get called, is not only aiming at a wide range of themes "marrying a steampunk setting with high fantasy elements."

The ambitious new title is set on packing a lot of gameplay elements as well, including realm-versus-realm aerial combat and player housing, in addition to the usual exploration and progression content.

A release window for "Ascent: Infinite Realm" is expected to be announced later as Bluehole continues to make progress on their new title.