Perpetual Entertainment announced that it has secured the exclusive worldwide rights from Viacom Consumer Products to develop and publish a massively multiplayer online game based on Paramount Pictures' Star Trek franchise.
Star Trek is one of the world's most popular, longest-running, and beloved sci-fi properties, with millions of passionately devoted fans throughout the world. The announcement comes as the series is preparing for its 38th anniversary celebrations.
The license encompasses all live-action motion pictures and television series including, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise.
The game will deliver action, adventure and combat mechanics unique to persistent world games. Its design includes a rich array of solo and multiplayer missions set in space, on planets and in starbases throughout the universe. At launch, it will take place during the 24th century timeline in the series with other aspects of the Star Trek universe to be interwoven and added through expansions.
Players will encounter characters, places, and situations from their favorite Star Trek movies and television series; will explore incredible new worlds; and will cooperate with or battle friendly and hostile races throughout the game, said Chris McKibbin, President of Perpetual Entertainment.
According to Viacom the game will allow fans of Star Trek to ...participate in and explore the Star Trek universe. The game is expected to enter public beta testing in 2006 and to launch by early 2007.
According ot the Startrek.com FAQ, available by following the download tab above, the game will be a person, not a ship while the possibility of using both first and third person is being considered for the game. You may encounter the Enterprise and characters from the Star Trek series, but you will be your own hero discovering your own story.
Mission assignments will include dozens of ship types which are open environments that move through space. Players will be able to explore planets while players will work together although Player Vs Player wil only feature at the beginning of the game.
Groups of both pick-up players and more permanent crewmates will have access to interesting missions, ships, ground-battles and game-play opportunities. The game will use dynamically-created space and ground areas to provide missions that will include conversations with non-player characters, key decision points, interesting puzzles and enemies to dispatch or avoid.