Pioner is an exciting new MMO that looks like fellow fan-favorite FPS games Escape from Tarkov and STALKER. GFA Games’ new shooter is making waves amid fans of post-apocalyptic stories, fast-paced shooting experiences, and survival stans alike. With plenty of monstrosities to take on and an alternate Soviet-era setting, Pioner is shaping up to be one of the following year’s big releases despite some fans’ concerns.
If you don’t know about Pioner yet, developer GFA Games describes the MMORPG as an online shooter with a strong focus on exploration and, of course, survival. The game will contain elements of both PvE and PvP play, as well as some RPG features with faction and story missions you’ll need to complete. All of these are located on a highly-radiated, isolated Soviet-era island that was previously home to bunkers and scientific laboratories.
Just like in STALKER, there are multiple factions in Pioner. You can take on real players from opposing factions in arena-based combat, or stick to fighting off the island’s various enemies in the MMO that synchronizes with your real-life timezone. If all of that sounds up your alley, GFA says that you can look forward to a release date sometime in 2024.
While the STALKER-esque survival game was originally launching this year, the developer issued a statement in November confirming that it would be postponing the release time due to “results” gathered during testing. On the date change announcement thread, the Pioner dev does confirm that a closed beta test will come before the game’s full release, and says that it won’t launch on Steam but rather on an “unknown” platform.
This is where we see some of the controversy surrounding Pioner. The delay and subsequent responses from GFA prompted concern from fans, with some worried that the stunning MMO could end up the way fellow survival game The Day Before did recently. For instance, one prospective player states in a reply that GFA should take its time developing Pioner. Despite the concerns, it seems as though a good few people are looking forward to the release.
Thankfully, we may have some big Pioner news to look forward to now, too, to help tide us over until the launch. In the dev’s latest post, we see a brand-new trailer as well as a mysterious date that alludes to something happening on Wednesday, December 20. It likely isn’t a release though, as the dev’s official Twitter bio still says “2024.” The game’s official YouTube channel also has some scheduled premiere on that date, dubbed ‘Codex of Tartarus.’
While you wait to find out what the upcoming news about Pioner is, you should check out a few of our other favorite multiplayer games that you can enjoy alongside a group of friends right now. Alternatively, browse through some of these other mind-boggling, unsettling apocalypse games if you’d love a good dystopian experience to play through.
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