Following the third World War, the Earth has become a blasted heath and humanity is now an endangered species.  A corporate government has created a small Utopia, populated with clones from a DNA database compiled before the end of the war.  As with all corporate government "utopias", the people are ruled with an iron fist, and naturally a rebellious faction arises, striving to overthrow the totalitarian rule under which the last remnants of mankind suffers.

Thus the stage is set for Masthead Studios' new post-apocalyptic MMO, Earthrise. Play as a soldier for the new world order or join Noir, the shadow government dedicated to ending the tyranny of the leaders of the wasted landscape.  Masthead is using it's own engine to handle the graphics (which look amazing) as well as the combat mechanics.

Masthead CEO Atanas Atanasov is making some fairly big claims for Earthrise, stating, "This will change the way we play sci-fi MMOs."  While it can be difficult to gauge the quality of a game based on screens alone (more of which can be viewed at the Earthrise site), if the game lives up to the quality of the brief peek we've been given I'm apt to believe Mr. Atanasov.

Earthrise is scheduled for release in 2009.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

In the aftermath of a catastrophic third world war, Earth lies in ruin, and mankind is all but extinct. In a small corner of the world a new society has risen in the years following, populated mostly by the clones of those stored in a massive DNA database compiled at the end of the war. A corporate government has created a seemingly Utopian civilization, but its heavy-handed control over society, its resources, and even life itself has forced a substantial opposition. These rival factions accuse the government of crimes against humanity in its rampant willingness to abuse the cloning process to its own gain. It is at this crossroads that players will find themselves: fight as a champion of the new world order, or take up arms with Noir, the shadow government sworn to overthrow the totalitarian rule.

Masthead has employed its own engine to craft the stunning graphics and atmosphere in the game, as well as to handle its dynamic combat mechanics. Explore the diverse and sprawling capital city of Sal Vitas and surrounding unclaimed territories. Fight with advanced PvP mechanics featuring customizable power armor, huge mechanized exoskeletons, and an arsenal of weapons to control contested lands and their resources. Influence the market-based economy by working for the corporate world or trading on the black market, all based in immense and highly customized crafting and offline play systems. Players will shape the society in the beginning of a new mankind; or they will create their own dystopia.

“This will change the way we play sci-fi MMOs,” said Atanas Atanasov, CEO of Masthead Studios. “Our team is creating a game that will introduce the next innovative approach to the genre, and we feel to MMOs themselves. We based the game in a vision of society’s future, where the technology and economics of today have ensured an unavoidable cataclysm. Earthrise won’t be just an MMO, but an experience in a new, never-before-imagined post-apocalyptic world.”

Further information, initial concept art, game lore and a growing community around Earthrise are now available at www.play-earthrise.com.