Ramen VR CEO Opens Up About Major Changes Coming to Zenith: The Last City, With Pre-Alpha Signups Open

mmorpg.com:

Late last year, Ramen VR announced that they will bring some major changes to Zenith: The Last City. Now, there’s a new devblog breaking down some of the changes and why they’re happening, along with a closed pre-alpha coming this weekend.

When the 2.0 efforts were announced, there weren’t many details, but it was clear that they were switching up the vision to improve some gameplay and make things more welcoming and engaging. The latest letter from Ramen VR CEO Andy Tsen is frank about just why they’re making so many changes. 

“Understand that while Zenith was initially very profitable, we’ve been running it at a loss on a month to month basis for the better part of a year. For two years the team has tried everything we could to get us back into profitability or user growth, but it just hasn’t panned out.”

Their plan of action became “a choice between making fundamental changes or putting the game on ice”. So these changes will be more than just polishing the game, fixing bugs, and adding some new content. They need to make Zenith welcoming to new players and to be able to keep those who play around. To do this, they plan tooverhaul level and skill progression and make other changes.

Closed pre-alpha playtests will kick off this weekend, and they’re looking for both Zenith vets and new players to check it out. Those who want a chance at this closed alpha can fill out an interest form here, and Tsen notes that referring a friend will increase your chance of getting in. It’s notable that this is pre-alpha and an alpha will follow on the overhaul before an eventual beta.

There are still not many specifics, but it’s clear that the changes will be major and they want a chance to test everything thoroughly under closed tests