IGG just announced its newest MMO under development, Altis Gates, in a press release yesterday. Still in production and predicted to enter its Alpha testing phase within the next few months, Altis Gates is a Fantasy-themed MMO designed by a development team that reached 2 million users on a previous title in China, according to IGG. Described as a "turn-based 2D MMORPG," Altis Gates marks the newest addition to IGG's massive free-to-play lineup, presumably set for release sometime after Lords Online (the company's other newest MMORPG/RTS hybrid).
Altis Gates promises to take the interactive pets mechanic to "new heights," allowing players to not only use their pets for combat, but also offering a companionship via "high levels of animation" and "personality that will enable pets to respond to their treatment or experiences." According to the release, pet moods change over time, exhibiting traits like a spoiled child or pretending to be sick, as well as letting you know when they are hungry or in a bad mood.
The gameplay in Altis Gates will include ten unique quest types at release, including Storyline Quests, Suppression Quests, CoC (Chamber of Commerce) Quests and others. Content for high-level players promises to keep you surprised and engaged, offering an "ample" supply of rewards down the line. Travel mechanics include sky gliders, elevators and "detailed architecture modeled on European classical styles." Like many of IGG's games, Altis Gates is developed with an 2D, emulated 3D engine that will no doubt run on any PC manufactured within the past six years or so, but IGG says the game terrain and structures were designed using 3D modeling. "What players will see in Altis Gates are not hidebound 2D scenes, but natural, dynamic environments featuring details such as a sluggish trickle of water or a thin curl of smoke," according to the release.
Check out the entire press release announcement after the jump, and visit our Altis Gates portal page in the future for more news as it develops.