'Mavericks: Proving Grounds' news: 400-player battle royale gets teaser trailer

Promotional image for "Mavericks: Proving Grounds"Facebook/playmavericks

Move over "Fortnite" and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" ("PUBG"), as there is a new promising contender for the battle royale genre and it promises as much as 400 players in a deathmatch session, which is four times as big as what's currently available in the market today.

This aspiring new battle royale game is called "Mavericks: Proving Grounds" and was originally called "Project X" by its developer Automaton Studios. "Mavericks: Proving Grounds" also wants to prove that it can beat the highly popular "PUBG" at its own game by introducing a 400-player battle royale game in which the last person standing wins. Though this is actually less ambitious than what "Mavericks: Proving Grounds" originally set out to be, which is a 1,000-player online shooter.

However, it might take quite a while before "Mavericks: Proving Grounds" actually sets out to steal the crown from "Fortnite: Battle Royale" and "PUBG" since the developers have aimed for a release time frame of late 2018. The upcoming game will also expand into a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game come 2019, meaning the developers have big plans for their competitive first-person shooter (FPS).

As for the battle royale mode of "Mavericks: Proving Grounds," it will be much more unique in terms of realism and game world compared to the relatively barren map of "PUBG." "Mavericks" will feature reactive wildlife muddy tracks, spreading wildfire and dynamic water, among other environmental details, things that are clearly missing from "PUBG." This will have quite a significant effect in each game session where players can mistake wildlife for other players or get hampered by the weather and the environment.

Meanwhile, the MMO part of the game will include a hub city named The Capital where players can meet with each other and trade or do other activities. This feature will ultimately allow the MMO elements of the game and will be a grand undertaking by the developers, as the game's regular survival mode will feature 1,000 players roaming in the map.

Fans of the genre, as well as Automaton Studios, are advised to stay tuned for further updates for "Mavericks: Proving Grounds."