Rising Storm's developer is making a persistent FPS for 80 players

Antimatter Games, The developer behind the excellent Rising Storm series, announced a new FPS today, accompanied by a trailer that you can watch above. Like its predecessors, '83 is a large, tactical shooter where teams duke it out for supremacy across huge maps. As the name suggests, it's a Cold War affair, or rather an alternate Cold War that turned into a proper conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Despite being set in an alternate history, Antimatter Games still promises realism and historical authenticity, both things that made the Rising Storm series stand out from the likes of Battlefield and Call of Duty. There's no regenerating health or super soldier abilities, and I expect it'll be the same for '83.

The player count appears to have been given a boost for the new war, with 80 or more able to jump into the objective-based battles. And your performance in them will have an impact on the larger war. Kills, captures and other stats will contribute to the global conflict and have an effect on future matches. How the war will change battles isn't clear, but the developer says they'll be "tangible and visible."

If you're an especially skilled player, you might get some extra rewards, too. "We’re also planning some interesting ways for prominent players to achieve recognition above and beyond the usual in-game items, achievements and titles previously experienced in similar games," said lead designer Sturt Jeffrey. What those are remains a mystery, however.

Expect more details about '83 to appear in the new few months. And you can check out the official site in the meantime.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.