The extraction shooter genre has pretty much blown up in popularity over the past few years, from the hardcore military simulation of Escape from Tarkov to the cooperative alien-blasting action of Helldivers 2. Now, Thousand Hour Games is preparing to throw their hat into the ring with Everstorm, an ambitious indie project that combines extraction gameplay with MOBA-style controls and roguelite progression.
Speaking at MIGS 2024, Creative Director Morgan Nagel shared insights into the game’s development and unique approach. “We are intentionally trying to make something that nobody else has really done yet,” Nagel explained. “That’s part of our strategy. We just believe as indies, you need to be really experimental and do something crazy that you think is gonna be a lot of fun.”
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The experiment in question takes place from a top-down perspective, where players control their characters using familiar MOBA controls – right-clicking to move and attack, with abilities bound to hotkeys. But unlike traditional MOBAs, Everstorm focuses on the high-stakes tension of extraction gameplay. Players drop into raids either solo or in squads of up to three, fighting through hordes of monsters while collecting loot and upgrading their characters. The twist comes from the presence of other players in the raid, creating unpredictable encounters where everything gathered could be lost in an instant.
What sets Everstorm apart is its approach to character progression and customization. The game launches with six distinct classes, including the Crusader, Arcanist, and Ranger. Each class comes equipped with five base abilities and a unique passive skill, but the progression goes much deeper. During raids, players can acquire “storm spells” – additional abilities like blinks, stuns, and fears that can be mixed and matched to create unique builds. This system allows for extensive experimentation without being tied to a single playstyle.
Between raids, players return to their personal Outpost, a safe haven where they can engage with the game’s profession system. At launch, this includes Alchemy and Blacksmithing, with Cooking planned for future updates. These professions offer meaningful progression outside of combat, allowing players to craft increasingly powerful gear and consumables for their next raid.
The development team has taken an notably community-driven approach to balancing and refining the game. Rather than conducting large-scale beta tests, they’ve been running intimate play sessions with small groups from their Discord community. “We usually get groups of anywhere from five to 12 gamers. We just hop in Discord together and we play,” Nagel said. “And we just listen to people have fun and see what’s working and what’s not.”
This approach has already led to significant adjustments. The team recently scaled back their talent tree system after feedback suggested it created too much power disparity between new and veteran players. Instead, they’re implementing an “eternal boon” system, where mastering a class unlocks a single powerful bonus that applies account-wide.
Each match cycles between day and night phases, with darkness bringing waves of stronger enemies. Surviving these waves rewards players with increasingly valuable loot, but also ramps up the overall difficulty. Players face a constant risk-reward calculation: extract early with modest gains, or push their luck for a chance at the best rewards by challenging the raid’s final boss.
Launch Plans And Future Updates
When Everstorm launches into early access, players can choose from several tiers of Founders Packs – Bronze, Silver, and Gold, each unlocking different bundles of characters. The top tier will include a special offer granting access to all current and future characters in perpetuity, available only during the early access period. After this period, the game will transition to a free-to-play model focused on character unlocks and cosmetics.
Another thing that I found really cool was how Thousand Hour Games has been transparent about their use of Unreal Engine Marketplace assets for character models, a practical decision that allowed their small team to focus on gameplay innovation rather than asset creation. This pragmatic approach extends to their business model, which will transition from paid early access to free-to-play after launch, with monetization focused on character unlocks and cosmetics.
Everstorm enters early access in 2025, with plans for monthly character releases and regular content updates. Players interested in getting an early look can participate in the upcoming Steam Next Fest demo or join the game’s Discord community for a chance to participate in smaller test sessions.
Prepare For Some Serious Genre Blending
- Released
- 2025
- Developer(s)
- Thousand Hour Games
- Publisher(s)
- Thousand Hour Games
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op