An intense, dark, survival-focused MMOFPS sounds like a great elevator pitch to me. That’s exactly what the ambitious Pioner aims to achieve, as it takes the atmosphere and tension of hardcore shooters like Stalker 2 and Escape From Tarkov and turns it into a co-op MMO. It seems I’m not alone in liking the sound of Pioner, because the game has just surpassed a pretty significant Steam wishlist milestone already, just over a month after its store page actually went live.
We’ve known about Pioner for a while now – it’s an MMO that sounds unlike anything we’ve really got at the moment. With PvE content now in multiplayer extraction shooter Escape From Tarkov, that’s probably its closest point of comparison. But tonally, it definitely leans more towards Stalker or the Metro series.
It’ll have a sprawling, 50km² island map that, according to a recent developer Q+A, will be split into two. “The left side of the island is dominated by PvE content,” says CFAGames. “The right side of the island is a PvP area. At the same time, there is only one region in the game where PvP is implemented everywhere – Shadowlands.” Shadowlands will also be an extraction-style zone where you’ll risk your gear and attempt to leave with some precious loot.
The island will be a hostile environment that’s filled with different warring factions and a lineup of mutated, zombified creatures. To hold your own, you have access to an arsenal of highly-customizable guns, and a crafting system will let you build your own powerful weapons and gear.
While you can play the game’s story and PvE missions solo (and embark on PvP on your own, if you dare) it sounds like there’ll be plenty of activity types where playing as a squad will be necessary. There’s also a fishing minigame, and if you know me, you’ll already be aware that’s an immediate +1 on the enjoyment scale.
There’s certainly a lot of excitement and anticipation for this project – so much so that CFA has revealed that over 100,000 people have wishlisted the game already, roughly one month on from it officially appearing on Steam. While that doesn’t exactly put it right near the top of the wishlist charts alongside major upcoming PC games like Elden Ring Nightrein and Ark 2, it is a very impressive amount given how little time it’s actually been on Valve’s storefront.
Pioner has a tentative release window of 2025 right now. You can sign up to be a Pioner beta tester though, if you want to try it out sooner rather than later.
You could instead pass the time with some of the best survival games and best FPS games around if you want to experience some similar thrills.
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