Regensburg/Germany, July 24, 2025 | The zombie MMORPG Persist Online, announced by CipSoft last year, is getting a new skill system. Starting with the next playtest, this will give players even more options for developing characters according to their own preferences. As before, points are earned by performing actions belonging to one of the game’s 25 skill trees, such as firing a shotgun or cutting down a tree. However, players can now invest these points much more freely into various passive and active skills.
Once an active skill has been unlocked, it can be improved further by enhancing its effect or reducing its cooldown, for example. Using badges gradually increases the maximum level of a skill tree. Once 11 points have been spent, players can choose one of two specialisations for the skill. As before, a particularly powerful “ultimate skill” awaits at the end.
“This skill system rework gives players more freedom, clearer progression, and meaningful choices,” reads a blog post published on the MMORPG’s website today. Alongside further details and numerous examples, the 14-member team has revealed initial information about weapon adjustments that have become necessary due to the new skill system. For instance, all machine guns now penetrate up to three enemies by default.
All the new features can be tried out at the next playtest in August. Simply register with an email address at www.persist.online for the chance to participate.
You can already add the MMORPG to your Steam wishlist. As of today, Persist Online is also part of “Games Forged in Germany”. This week-long event on Steam showcases the variety of German games, and Persist Online will soon be featuring a new variety of characters.
About Persist Online
Persist Online is the new game from genre pioneers CipSoft, who released Tibia in 1997, one of the first MMORPGs ever. Instead of casting spells on orcs, players must fight zombies with firearms and melee weapons. Still, at its core, Persist Online is an old-school MMORPG, with hundreds of players sharing the same server and enjoying the greatest possible freedom. The game is the brainchild of two long-time CipSoft employees and began as a hobby project. Currently, a 14-member core team with the mentality of an indie studio is working towards an Early Access release on Steam.
About CipSoft
CipSoft GmbH was founded in Regensburg in June 2001 and emerged from the success of Tibia. As one of the oldest German game developers, the independent company today generates annual revenues of over 20 million euros and employs more than 100 people. With TibiaME, a mobile adaptation inspired by Tibia, CipSoft released one of the first online role-playing games for mobile phones in 2003. In April 2025, the Bavarian studio took over the browser game The Settlers Online from Ubisoft Blue Byte. Since this year, CipSoft has made Tibia’s payment system available to other game developers under the name MultiPayer.