Minecraftbut MMO Boundless picked up by Square Enix's Collective for release this year
Looking for blue man group
Construction & exploration sandbox MMO Boundless has technically been around for yonks now (nearly four years of early access, and it was once known as Oort Online before that), but only now has it been signed by a big-name company for a multi-platform release. Wonderstruck's planet-hopping MMO has only just be signed by Square Enix's Collective - their indie incubator project - and is due for a final launch later this year.
A bit like the recently-released Worlds Adrift, Boundless is an inherently social game, with players carving out their own corner of a very large play-space, and tussling with indigenous creatures and the occasional big monster along the way. Unlike Worlds Adrift, there is currently no PvP in the game at all, although the developers do have vague plans to make certain planets or specially marked zones more competitive in nature. In short, if you see a weird blue space-person, say hello. They could probably use a friend.
Unlike Minecraft and its broadly earth-like environments, Boundless is set across multiple large planets. A lot of resources are apparently required to create a stable portal between one world and another, so a true Planescape-like City of Doors is a very lofty goal, but an exciting one nonetheless. It's also interesting to see a publisher as large as Square Enix (even if it is a sub-division) taking a primarily peaceful MMO under their wing.
Lack of continual combat aside, I also can't help but notice massive floating sky-structures and grappling hooks among its features. Two things that immediately increase my interest in any game. It's like a magic spell, really - give me floating worlds and a way to swing from place to place and I will. As such, I look forward to giving Boundless a peek when it launches properly.
Boundless is officially set to launch sometime later this year, but you can grab it in early access either via Steam for £27/$35, or for the same price direct from the developers. There is no subscription, and the final version should include cross-play between PC and PlayStation 4, which is always nice.