Dual Universe is a "Boundless MMO" with echoes of EVE Online

A new sandbox sci-fi MMO called Dual Universe promises “a vast realistic universe made of millions of planets, [focusing] on emergent collective gameplay based around exploration, mining, crafting, trade, politics and warfare," all of it within a single, shared online realm. Based on that alone, you can probably guess that the members of developer Novaquark, which includes former employees of Ubisoft, Sony, Apple, and Aldebaran Robotics, are big fans of EVE Online.

Novaquark describes Dual Universe as a “boundless MMO,” that takes advantage of Continuous Single-Shard Cluster technology to enable an unlimited number of people from around the world to play in the same universe. It's also entirely moddable, and players “will make the choices and create the content they will play in.”

“I am a huge fan of games like Eve Online and Space Engineers. I took inspiration from such games to imagine what could be the future of the MMO experience: a continuous world with planets, huge building possibilities, social and political aspects, but without the boundaries that so often restrict the gameplay,” said Novaquark founder Jean-Christophe Baillie, former the chief of science and technology at Aldebaran Robotics. “This idea needs a lot of tech and emergent game design that is not so far from AI and other fields I’m familiar with. So, I got a first prototype working back in 2014, and Novaquark was born soon after.”

An alpha build, demonstrating the game engine and CSSC technology running with “a preliminary set of gameplay features,” is set to debut in early 2017, after which it will settle in as a “long term continuous development project." For now, more information about Dual Universe, and a link to sign up for the mailing list, may be had at dualthegame.com. There's also a very cool soundtrack preview up for your listening pleasure at Soundcloud.

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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.