Illuvium has introduced a big restructuring effort, aiming to chop prices and alter its improvement focus to an MMO lite mannequin.

The corporate is decreasing its month-to-month spending to $500,000 by March, with cost-cutting measures that embrace wage reductions, operational changes, and staff layoffs. Some workers have been given the choice to obtain funds in Illuvium’s native $ILV token as an alternative of $USDC.

These modifications come because the studio prepares for a shift in its flagship title, Overworld, which is able to transition to an “MMO Lite” mannequin reasonably than a conventional open-world expertise. This transfer follows earlier cost-cutting efforts in 2024, when Illuvium lowered its month-to-month bills from practically $1 million.

What modifications can we anticipate from Overworld?

Overworld, initially designed as an open-world creature-collection sport, will now undertake an “MMO Lite” construction as introduced in December final yr.

This implies the sport will incorporate multiplayer parts while sustaining a streamlined design with out the complexity of a full-scale MMORPG. Gamers will nonetheless be capable to discover, seize creatures, and have interaction in battles, however the focus will shift towards a extra interactive and multiplayer-driven expertise.

Illuvium has clarified that they aren’t constructing this from scratch however an effort to combine MMO-style options in a manner that retains the sport accessible. The studio has acknowledged that improvement on Overworld’s new construction will grow to be the first focus by mid-2025, following the completion of main updates to Illuvium Enviornment’s PvP mode within the second quarter.

What’s subsequent for Overworld?

Alongside the restructuring and sport design modifications, Illuvium has beforehand introduced plans to introduce AI-driven NPCs to Overworld.

By means of a partnership with Virtuals Protocol, these NPCs will present interactive parts comparable to dynamic dialogue and personalised questlines. The purpose is to create a extra immersive setting with out the necessity for large-scale guide content material creation.

While the restructuring extends Illuvium’s monetary runway, the corporate has acknowledged that additional funding can be vital to finish Overworld’s transition. The success of those modifications will rely upon how successfully the staff can implement the revised sport construction while sustaining neighborhood engagement.