'Wild West Online' Aims to Bring Western Themes to PC, Inspired by 'Red Dead Redemption'
"Wild West Online," at least in its early stages, looks very much like one would expect from a Western-themed massively-multiplayer online game. Given the comparisons to the "Red Dead Redemption" franchise, 612 Games has been straightforward about their influences as they try to fill in a void in the PC gaming market.
One could say that the game has been driven by Rockstar's continuing lack of plans to cater to PC gamers for their acclaimed Western game franchise, a fact pointed out by Polygon.
There's also the idea that "Wild West Online" developers could be inviting comparison by bringing the multiplayer game somewhat close to "Red Dead Redemption" — not just in looks but also in the gameplay mechanics, at least as shown in the few videos floating around online.
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Stegan Bugaj, a developer for the game, is not shy to admit that they have eyes on Rockstar's wildly successful Western title. "We were inspired by Westworld and the impending not-coming-to-PC Red Dead Redemption 2," Bugaj said in an interview with IGN.
"Westerns started coming back. So we thought [the game] would fill a fun unfulfilled gaming desire in the community," the developer added, referring to the gaping lack of Western multiplayer titles for the PC.
While "Red Dead Redemption" is a single-player experience driven by its plot, "Wild West Online" is a freeform sandbox that befits its status as an MMO. The studio is focusing on features that let players role-play in towns as they hunt for buried treasure, pan for gold, buy land, or just plain steal all those from others, as summed up by PC Gamer.
Early previews of the game world, although a bit sparse and sterile at the moment without wildlife or other players, impresses with its attention to detail. 612 Games hopes to fill this up soon with a bustling economy, daring train raids and more before 2017 ends.
The video below shows a few gameplay scenes from the Alpha stage of "Wild West Online," coming to the PC for its scheduled release before the end of the year.
