Did You See The New Project Ghost Reveal? Looking Good So Far!

Project Ghost — the upcoming MMORPG from Fantastic Pixel Castle — recently had a major reveal. The studio, led by Greg Street (formerly of World of Warcraft and Riot Games’ canceled League of Legends MMO), is backed by NetEase and is developing the game in Unreal Engine 5. Thanks to a new video from JoCat showcasing pre-alpha footage from internal playtests, we’re finally getting our first real glimpse of what they’ve been building.

The footage highlights a range of core systems: third-person combat, gathering and harvesting, exploration, and small-group open-world encounters. While it’s clearly early days, there’s already enough to form some impressions. Visually, Project Ghost leans into a stylized look reminiscent of WoW. Although animations are still a work in progress, they show promising weight and responsiveness. There are familiar, satisfying feedback loops that suggest a strong mechanical foundation under the hood.

Traversal and exploration stand out thanks to fluid character movement, natural jump arcs, and a sense of momentum that makes navigating the world appear dynamic rather than routine. Combat blends tab-targeting with action elements, incorporating readable telegraphs, aggro control, and group coordination reminiscent of classic dungeon runs. Combined with visible resource nodes, ambient wildlife, and subtle environmental verticality, these design choices help create a world that feels “lived-in."

The most intriguing feature, though, is the split-world design. Content is divided into “Blue Zones” and “Red Zones.” Blue Zones are procedurally generated areas focused on small-group PvE, base-building, and evolving encounters. Red Zones are handcrafted shared-world spaces with traditional MMO staples like PvP, world bosses, and social hubs. This ambitious hybrid attempts to marry the personalization of instanced content with the chaos of open-world gameplay — a combination that could enhance replayability.

There are still many unknowns, including how Project Ghost will carve out a distinct identity in an already crowded genre. Another open question is the business model. While it could be free-to-play, it’s unclear, especially considering Street’s WoW background, where a subscription model still prevails.

For now, it’s too early to label Project Ghost as a “WoW killer” — a tired phrase anyway — but it’s clear the team has a strong vision worth watching.