Pantheon: Rise Of The Fallen Producer Confirms Rumors Of A Survival Extraction Side Game

Earlier this week, a Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen VIP backer leaked what were allegedly messages from producer Ben Dean about ongoing work on a survival extraction arena side game for testing purposes, dubbed 247. Naturally, the leak caused concern among Pantheon’s backers and community, especially since the rumored game will reportedly slow down the fantasy MMORPG’s development until next year.

Visionary Realms recently confirmed the rumors and that they are indeed working on 247 to massive backlash from the community. The studio said that leaks are expected and that it doesn’t change their plans.

“The 247 play mode began life as a testing tool. We soon saw its potential to stand on its own feet,” Dean explained on Discord. “We believe the marriage between MMO and Extraction is something that will speak to a much larger audience than we have reached to date and we are exploring that opportunity.”

“This is not a cancellation of Pantheon, as Pantheon and 247 are symbiotic and developed in tandem,” he assured. “If we choose to monetize 247 and it is successful, it could potentially allow Pantheon to launch much sooner than currently projected.”

Dean promises to reveal more information about 247 and their plans in his next producer’s letter on October 26th.

Visionary Realms, however, isn’t the first studio to develop a side game to serve as a testing environment and to secure more funds for their flagship game’s development. City State Entertainment did it with Camelot Unchained, and so did Intrepid Studios with Camelot Unchained and Soulbound Studios with Chronicles of Elyria, all of which inevitably failed.

All of those games are still stuck in development limbo despite their respective studios’ claims that the side games will help speed up development, so it’s perfectly understandable if Pantheon’s community responds with skepticism or even outrage.