Reaper Actual is an upcoming persistent open-world FPS from former PlanetSide 2 devs

Distinct Possibility Studios, a game development studio led by former PlanetSide 2 developers has announced Reaper Actual, an open-world persistent first-person shooter. The video released on the official YouTube channel shows a mix of gameplay and cinematic footage, as well as explains the mechanics of the persistent world. The game does not have a release date yet and it is unclear what stage of development it is in.

As per the press release, Reaper Actual is an open world FPS but what sets it apart is the persistent world. Set in the war-torn island of Marova, the ever-evolving battlefield stays active regardless of the players being online. The Chief Art Officer and Chief Creative Office at Distinct Possibility Studios explain that unlike other session-based games, Reaper Actual has a real-world simulation where players will have their own bases that will allow economy progression, crafting, and upgrading items.

There are also hand-crafted story arcs and in-game missions that keep the gameplay active. There is a blend of PvP and PvE that has players “constantly drawn into conflict, not just against each other, but against the island’s relentless native factions.” The operatives are called Reapers and they have access to their own tools and arsenal, possibly like classes in various other shooters.

Notably, Reaper Actual will have the Tezos layer-2 (L2) blockchain Etherlink. This will allow for tradeable in-game Web3 components like characters, bases, skins and more. For this, CEO of Distinct Possibility Studios, John Smedley, has raised $30.5 million in a funding round. Some commenters on the YouTube video (linked below) have raised concerns about NFTs and blockchain being integrated into games. The strategy, for now, is to make Web3 trading optional yet easy to access.

As for the gameplay footage, it shows glimpses of the open-world, including indoor and outdoor locations. The gunplay looks interesting but the graphics are nothing to write home about. It’s not a bad looking game by any means but it is still in development so visuals and performance should improve as we move closer to launch. The Steam page for the game is live and it interestingly recommends an Intel i7+ or Ryzen 7+ (10-core min) CPU, 32 GB RAM, and an RTX 4070 or AMD RX 7800 (16 GB min VRAM).