Worlds Adrift alpha video showcases potentially revolutionary tech

Worldsadrift

Bossa's airborne MMO Worlds Adrift underwent its first alpha playtest in November, and the trailer that resulted was pretty exciting—not so much for the gameplay it put on display, as for its obvious potential. The Improbable technology that powers it, if it pays off as promised, will enable all sorts of physics-based gameplay that has thus far been impossible to achieve, and so while it's very early days right now, Worlds Adrift could herald some very big changes coming our way in the relatively near future.

At less than two minutes long, the trailer from last week naturally shows the game at its current-state best. An unedited look at what's cooking is now available on Twitch, in the form of a playtest that was streamed earlier today and is now available for rebroadcast. It's a much meatier chunk of video, clocking in at a hair over two hours (although it takes about 15 minutes for things to get started), narrated throughout by Bossa's Colm Ahern and Oliver Age 24, who are actually just watching other people play the game via the spectator mode.

It's a lot to sit through, especially since there's not always a lot happening, but it's nice to have an unvarnished look at a game that's making some awfully big promises. Bossa isn't currently taking applications for upcoming playtests, but if you'd like to be notified when the doors re-open you can sign up for "exclusive access" at worldsadrift.com.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.