Atlas Is Still Afloat, Introduces Massive 40-gun Ship

If you're still playing Grapeshot Games' Atlas, congratulations -- not just because it will be getting a new update this week, but because you're one of the few who have stuck with the game through its tumultuous and controversial history. That accomplishment alone deserves a solid pat on your stern.

The update adds the Broadsider, a huge ship sporting an impressive 40 cannons, one for each 50 or players or so in the game at any given time. Blueprints for its various modules can only be found in shipwrecks throughout the world, which means that you'll be trying to assemble something great out of discarded rubbish, a fitting analog for the "still in early access" game.

Another similarity between the Broadsider and Atlas is that it looks like both will have released too early, as the patch notes list five "known issues" with the ship, including an outdated icon and an incorrect ladder position.

For all the snark, I've watched Atlas streams (back when there were some) and thought it looked like a ton of fun. It's a classic example of a game having "so much potential" that just couldn't be realized by the actual development. Maybe it will hit that mark someday, but even if it does, all the hype vanished just a few months after it launched. In other words, Atlas' ship has already left the port.