From RaidWarning.com
"We recently had the opportunity to interview Ethan Casner, the man behind the Indie-MMO, Divergence.
It’s an ambitious project to be sure, but that’s probably the reason why I’ve fallen for it so hard: I’ve been obsessing over the two videos Casner has released, signed up at the game newly released official forums, and I'm filled with dread thinking about the first time I’ll have to deal with a Vindicator or Verrator (Full disclosure, I’ve already pitched in some money in support of the indiegogo funding campaign). In interviewing Casner, I wanted to pick his brain to find out some of what lead him to his particular philosophy of “The MMO”, as well as delve deeper into the idea of an MMO with Perma-Death. He has an amazing sense of determination, incredible vision, and some very deeply held principles that could be a recipe for a truly incredible game. "
These aren’t nostalgia grabs or gimmick-laden throwbacks. They each bring something genuinely fresh to the table, mechanics that feel baked into the exploration and combat, not just tacked on.
Play as Dik, a nimble acrobat exploring the depths of Hell to rescue his brother from the Devil’s hands. With no weapons to rely on, success hinges on mastery of physics-driven movement, and quick adaptation to deadly obstacles.
GDC 2025 has revealed the finalists for the 27th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
a Perma Death MMO?! Haters are gonna hate, but I think the genre could use it right now.
Perma-death would be interesting with a heavy self-regulating system, like the associations he talks about. But, if you can just keep your "clone insurance" current, then I wonder if there will be enough of a deterrence with just the negative associations.
Only other perma-death mmo that I know of was that salem one. Interesting