Announced at the beginning of last year, Masthead's upcoming post-apocalyptic MMORPG Earthrise is now accepting applications for the battle between oppressive order and anarchic freedom.

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After World War 3 the Earth lies in ruins, with all but a small pocket of humanity completely wiped off the face of the planet. A clone-based Utopian society arises, but the strict controls required to maintain such a utopia have begun to garner harsh opposition. This is the world of Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic MMO just announced by Bulgarian developer Masthead Studios.

"This will change the way we play sci-fi MMOs," said Atanas Atanasov, CEO of Masthead Studios. "Our team is creating a game that will introduce the next innovative approach to the genre, and we feel to MMOs themselves. We based the game in a vision of society's future, where the technology and economics of today have ensured an unavoidable cataclysm. Earthrise won't be just an MMO, but an experience in a new, never-before-imagined post-apocalyptic world."

Players will choose to side with the new world order or toss their hat in with the shadow government seeking freedom from the oppressive regime. It reminds me a bit of the battle between Omni-Tek and the Clans in Funcom's Anarchy Online, but in a genre struggling to find quality science fiction fare I am willing to forgive Masthead the odd lapse in originality if they are willing to deliver a quality high-tech MMO experience.

PVP sounds particularly interesting, with customisable power armor and mechanised exoskeletons prominently featured - two sci-fi elements guaranteed to get my attention. Add in the intriguing possibilities involved with the potential to episodically reveal what the rest of the world looks like post World War III and you've got quite an intriguing little package.

Masthead plans to have Earthrise ready for release in 2009. For more information and pretty pictures, check out the game's official site at Play-Earthrise.com.

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