As you might remember from our earlier coverage, GFA Games received an investment from Tencent in November 2021. The following month, we published an exclusive interview with Alexandr Nikitin, Co-Owner and Chief Marketing Officer from GFA Games, who shared new information about Pioner, such as:
At the moment, 20 people are taking part in the development, not counting freelancers, and the studio is in the midst of a big expansion. Pioner features 50 square kilometers of open world (not counting dungeons) filled with forests and plains. MMORPG elements include equipment rating, item rarity, status effects, weapon damage, weapon range, weapon accuracy, weapon critical attack modifiers, and weight. Survival elements include having to rest and eat. In PvE, there will be “Bosses”. These are unique monsters that cannot be dealt with alone. Regarding PvP, there will be “motivated PvP” in the Empty Lands and also arenas with rating tables for those looking for a “competitive”. Clans will have control over the lands, which helps to develop the influence of the faction and clan. The faction system is not limited to the company; the levels of influence of factions are a key parameter for accessing new equipment and merchants. There will be a beta test. The PC store has not been decided yet. Pioner will employ the Buy to Play (B2P) business model. GFA Games also confirmed that a free trial will be available. Console ports are already under discussion.
At the time, Nikitin told us that Pioner would be released in 2022. However, the gameplay trailer does not mention a launch date, suggesting that a delay may well be in order.
