Ashes of Creation Spin-off 'Apocalypse' Open Beta Begins December 18 as Standalone Game

Intrepid Studios, the company behind Ashes of Creation, announced today that Ashes of Creation: Apocalypse will be launching as a standalone title into open beta on December 18, 2018 and it'll be free to play. Unlike the MMORPG version, Apocalypse is a fast paced PvP game. It'll be launching with a battle royale mode for up to 100 players and Intrepid plans to introduce additional modes like 200 player castle sieges, co-op horde missions, and more.

Intrepid Studios states that Apocalypse is being used to test their systems (combat, siege, PvP, etc) for use in their main MMORPG title, Ashes of Creation. Cosmetics unlocked in Apocalypse will also be available in the MMO version of the game once it launches.

While I've always been skeptical about Intrepid Studios delivering a fully fledged MMORPG, at least they're releasing something. It does seem like a distraction from the main game though. I get that they want to "test their systems", but how on earth is developing a battle royale mode for their stand-alone game going to help with the MMORPG? Time and resources spent on Apocalypse will also slow down work on the main game, especially if its time spent on game modes like battle royale.

Regardless, at least fans of Ashes of Creation will have something to play while eagerly waiting for the MMORPG to release. If Apocalypse proves to be successful it'll also validate Intrepid Studio's ability to execute and make good products.

Further reading: Ashes of Creation: Apocalypse Page