It has been a big year for Battle Royale titles, with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds consistently breaking concurrent user records and Fortnite seeing huge bump in player interest when they launched their own Battle Royale mode.
This year promises to get even bigger. Mavericks: Proving Ground is an upcoming title from UK studio Automaton Games. The full game will be an MMO with a planned release in 2019, but the competitive piece is set to come out late this year. The biggest claim so far: the game will support 400 players at once.
For comparison, PUBG maxes out at 100 players. Mavericks is boasting more players in an almost 12kms playable area, filled not only with your friends and enemies, but teeming with wildlife and other hazards. Developers Improbable Games are promising more information will be revealed at this years Game Developers Conference in March. Until then, here is the first teaser for the game:
It’s an early look at the game, but it is already impressive. The graphics are beautiful and it’s daunting to imagine supporting them under such a high player volume. But that’s exactly what they intend to do. “It is set in a huge, photoreal, and highly dynamic environment, with strong character progression, social hubs, intelligent mission systems and global-scale player-driven narrative,” says the description on Automaton’s website.
For more information on the upcoming title, PC Gamer interviewed the developers, who had lot to say about designing a lush open environment available to support so many players. Keep an eye on the Mavericks: Proving Grounds website for more updates as the game progresses.