Engage! Atari and Cryptic Studios have successfully launched a “bold new” Star Trek MMO.
According to Atari CEO Jeff Lapin, over one million fans have already created accounts at various official Star Trek Online websites.
“Throughout the last four decades, Star Trek has been a mainstay in pop culture, influencing legions of ‘trekkers’ through television, film, and more,” said Lapin.
“We expect [this MMO] to give fans and gamers an unprecedented Star Trek experience.”
Star Trek Online – which takes place in the year 2409 – allows players to assume the role of high ranking Starfleet officers and participate in missions across a vast galaxy populated by multiple races.
The game reportedly offers access to a number of familiar races, themes and ships, including the Enterprise, Klingons, the planet Vulcan, Borg cubes and Tribbles.
However, Ben Fritz of the LA Times gently criticized STO’s lack of certain “elements,” such as the absence of James T Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard and their respective crews.
“In the game’s time period, most [of the above-mentioned] characters would be old or deceased, but in a future when time travel is de rigueur, that’s not necessarily an impediment,” opined Fritz.
“The decision was primarily financial. Star Trek Online cost about $15 million to produce and launch and the added expense of hiring William Shatner and Chris Pine (Kirk) or Patrick Stewart (Picard) for a few days or weeks wasn’t in the budget.”
