Pirate MMO Atlas has been delayed until next week

Pirate MMO Atlas has been delayed until December 19. It was meant to start sailing the high seas of Early Access this week, on December 13, but it’s an enormous game, judging by Steven’s hands-on preview of Atlas, and the developer has decided to spend a bit more time getting it ready.

“It's a vast virtual world out there across the Atlas, and the team's going to use that extra time to review every portion of it thoroughly,” Grapeshot Games wrote on Steam. “We're sorry about the delay, and we know how much everyone is looking forward to establishing their empires!”

Atlas will let pirate captains rule over their own islands, participate in big multiplayer ship battles and explore hundreds of islands in a single shared server. And judging by the new screenshot above released by the developer today, you’ll be doing a spot of climbing as well as sailing.

“Deep within an uncharted jungle, a lone adventurer hang-climbs across a vast chasm on her way to lost treasure, while a wild bear and exotic bird roam far below,” reads the description. It looks like an awfully long way down.

Atlas will launch on Early Access next Wednesday.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.