Wild West Online is being rebooted as a free MMO split into two games

Is it too late for Wild West Online, as Rockstar tomorrow releases its new western-themed masterpiece Red Dead Redemption 2? Developer WWO Partners surely doesn't think so, and has just revealed its plans for the future of the game.

But first, some context to the current situation of this game. Wild West Online released in May 2018 for a very negative reception, after some initial hype from players who were expecting something like a Red Dead MMO. After disappointment sank in and the game failed to convince pretty much anyone, the devs decided to act, as they announced in June.

Now, Nick (one of the three original developers of Wild West Online) has revealed the details, admitting that the company was pretty much closed in the last few months. A few weeks ago, Free Reign Entertainment stepped in, now owns the rights to Wild West Online and a new team will be working on the reboot. Free Reign Entertainment is a company that has created a few online shooters such as The War Z (aka Infestation: Survivor Stories, aka Infestation World), Last Man Standing and Romero's Aftermath. It is not without controversy, as those recognizing the name Sergey Titov will probably agree.

When the reboot releases, Wild West Online is going to be free for everyone, with existing players receiving at least $15 worth of in-game credit and some additional items as well. They will need to download and install a new client through the official website, with this new release coming to Steam at a later date. This launcher will provide access to the two games – Frontier and Magnificent 5.

“Wait, what?”, I hear you ask. Yes, two games, as Wild West Online goes Battle Royale (of course!) with Magnificent 5. The announcement says that this is “based on work Free Reign Entertainment have made with it's [sic] Chinese partners”, whatever that means. Up to 20 teams of five players will fight, build fortifications and try not to get killed. Expect Season Passes and a monetization system that “is VERY SIMILAR to Fortnite.”

The other game, Frontier, is a wild west themed survival/exploration/PVP game. This is said to be the evolution of Wild West Online, with a world to explore, housing and settlements, animals to hunt and so on. The focus will be on building and crafting.

To me this sounds a lot like what Daybreak Game Company tried to do with H1Z1, which ultimately ended in the cancelation of the Just Survive game. As for any dates, you can expect the open beta of Magnificent 5 in a week or so, and Frontier will be available sometime in November as well.

Do you have any hopes for Wild West Online as it turns free-to-play and splits in half?