Shroud of the Avatar is pushing to become one of the most immersive games ever released, and they’ve got a release date for their blockchain-powered game. The developers behind Shroud are sharing rewards with community members in order to enhance gameplay.
Richard Garriott and Starr Long of Shroud of the Avatar granted community awards to members of the community. They also showed off decor items from their game.
Shroud of the Avatar’s developers recently gathered in a livestream to promote the game, give away prizes, and, most significantly, honor numerous members of the MMORPG’s community who were inducted into the Order of the New Britannia Empire (OBNE) for their services to the community as a whole. That last element is noteworthy because it was significant enough to entice Richard Garriott and Starr Long, as well as other programmers, to return to the webcast for the ceremony.
Garriott had lots to say about his many real-world adventures, including his upcoming trip to Antarctica in February and trips to different haunted house attractions over the Halloween season, as one would anticipate. Meanwhile, Long emphasized the significance of the OBNE in establishing a community, which he believes is even more critical for a crowdfunded game like SOTA. The event was marred by technical difficulties in-game and during video chat, but the honorees received their due recognition.
Near the conclusion of the session, the programmers discussed upcoming SOTA upgrades, stating that Release 97 would be released in January and will include “a lot of dungeon development.” The webcast also included a range of sculptures and other ornamental things that players will soon be able to install on their properties, as well as a Q&A session in the first half. The video is available here for those who want to sit through the whole four hours.
Shroud of the Avatar, as long-time MOP readers know, is a contentious MMO. The game and its original studio have been chastised for removing promised features, overfunding, delaying Kickstarter prizes, obscuring company leadership and office status, and failing to file SEC reports as required under the game’s equity crowdfunding. Richard Garriott’s business Portalarium sold SOTA to its principal developer in 2019, therefore exiting the game. Press inquiries have been greeted with stonewalling and obscenities, and equity crowdfund backers seem to have been forgotten about, but the game still has players and is still being developed, as we continue to cover.
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