DEADROP is taking the next step in its unique game development journey
Late in 2021, a new game development studio named Midnight Society announced its establishment. Lead my popular influencer Dr. Disrespect, former Call of Duty strategist and Community Manager Robert Bowling, Halo Infinite’s Lead Sandbox Designer Quinn Delhoyo and business guru Sumit Gupta, Midnight Society immediately declared bold intentions for their first game which would become known as DEADROP. While unique and exciting in both setting and game design itself, what was perhaps more intriguing about Midnight Society and DEADROP itself was its revolutionary game development path.
As opposed to using a traditional game development model where developers showcase polished versions of their works in progress and ask testers to sign non-disclosure agreements, Midnight Society promised to flip the script and pave the way for a new approach to game development. Midnight Society vowed to let their community play the game from “day zero” so that their feedback could be heard and the team could react to the player base’s thoughts, opinions and preferences. Instead of using alphas, betas or early access as marketing as many developers and publishers do, Midnight Society promised to truly open the doors to the community and to do so, out in the open.
About six months later, the first playable build of DEADROP was released. It was a single environment which demonstrated the look, setting and feel that DEADROP was aiming for as well as a playable shooting range with a single weapon. It featured a stuttering frame rate and gunplay that was not yet in line with games that players are used to. Midnight Society asked fans to put the earliest version of the shooting mechanics through the paces, give their feedback through a survey and promised to continue delivering “Snapshots” like this for the player base to test.
Fast forward about a year and a half and we are about to embark on DEADROP Snapshot VII which releases on October 20th. The DEADROP community has been hands on play testing DEADROP as it has evolved into the world’s first verticul extraction shooter. We’ve seen and tested a full sandbox of weapons, PvP mechanics in a giant brown “block out” environment, movement, PvE, maps, proximity chat and more. Now, with DEADROP Snapshot VII, new players will be welcomed in to play and test DEADROP for the first time since Snapshot V launched back in March.
New players will be able to gain access to DEADROP Snapshot VII and all playable builds of DEADROP in the future by purchasing a DEADROP Access Pass, which is $14.99 by default. It’s worth noting that the Access Pass is currently on sale for $9.99. Players who have already had access to DEADROP via the Founder’s Pass or Tower Key do not need to purchase anything further and will instantly have access to Snapshot VII. Furthermore, Midnight Society is offering Driver Keys, which include access to DEADROP as well as a variety of cosmetics for players looking to stand out in the crowd.
DEADROP Snapshot VII is also the next step forward for the game from a gameplay perspective, introducing a vehicle gameplay loop to the game for the first time. Players are expecting a number of other features and updates to be fleshed our during Midnight Society’s launch event on October 20th in Las Vegas. Midnight Society has been hyping the addition of a “UGC Mode” to DEADROP which will empower players and creators to build their own creations in DEADROP, similar to something like Fortnite’s Creative Mode or Halo’s popular “Forge” tools. If we are lucky, Snapshot VII may deliver the earliest version of those tools, enabling the community to don game design caps of their own and share their creations with the community, almost as if we are working alongside Midnight Society themselves.
Looking back at the journey that has been DEADROP’s development so far reveals quite an adventure. Midnight Society has been putting playable builds of their game in the hands of the community earlier than any other game in history, and they don’t appear to be slowing down. Since the very first build of DEADROP, players have been able to play, stream and create content based on this very unfinished work in progress game. Watching the game evolve from a basic shooting range, to a texture-less PvP environment, to the beginnings of a full scale extraction shooter with unique vertical gameplay design has been like living a behind the scenes documentary about the development of DEADROP. The experience has been unique, engaging and a one of a kind ride that has presented players with a variety of opportunities that most game development cycles do not.
With all of that said, players who are checking into DEADROP Snapshot VII for the first time should seek understanding and perspective. What we are playing isn’t a finished game by a long shot. Snapshots represent iterative builds of the game that will eventually become DEADROP. New players shouldn’t expect an endless amount of content that many may be used to from games like Call of Duty, Fortnite and Apex Legends. Instead, players should expect to be going hands on with an in-development game, earlier than most of us have ever done. You’ll have a chance to peak behind the curtain and give your feedback to the development team, helping to shape the future of DEADROP when it “fully” releases. The opportunity to do just that, in my experience, has been and will continue to be priceless. It also helps that DEADROP is already an extremely fun game to play because at the end of the day, that’s what videogames are all about.
DEADROP Snapshot VII launches on October 20th, 2023. Players can purchase a DEADROP Access Pass on MidnightSociety.com.
Visit YouTube.com/@MidnightMayor for a slew of DEADROP content including guides, tips and tracks, news updates and even a live action short film set in the DEADROP universe.
