The Precursors

Short description: 2009 video game

This page is about the video game. For the Halo series race, see Factions of Halo § Forerunners. For other uses, see Precursor.

The Precursors

Developer(s)| Deep Shadows
Publisher(s)| Russobit-M
Engine| Vital Engine 3
Platform(s)| Microsoft Windows
Release|

2009

*     * CIS: 4 December 2009

*     * (GamersGate): 21 December 2010

*     * (Steam): 4 February 2017

Genre(s)| Space simulator, First-person shooter, Role-playing game
Mode(s)| Single-player

The Precursors is a 2009 first-person shooter game developed by Ukrainian game studio Deep Shadows. The game was released for Windows in Russia on 4 December 2009.[1] It was then released worldwide through GamersGate on 21 December 2010 and through Steam on 4 February 2017. It is set in a futuristic sci-fi environment where many political factions are engaged in an intergalactic war. The player is able to explore a multitude of planets, travel through outer space to complete missions, obtain information, and buy weapons and supplies in an open world free-roaming environment.[2] It received mixed reviews from critics.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 1.1 Factions
* 2 History
* 3 Reception
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Gameplay

The game features a free-roaming world, with vast open areas, diverse weapons and a multitude of land, air and space vehicles. The player will be able to do a multitude of missions on six different planets or moons and even the interior of spaceships and space stations. Different vehicles can be used in engagements on the ground ranging from simple buggies and flyers to hover tanks and mechanical robots. After getting a spaceship, the player can also engage in space trade and combat with other factions in between the planetary missions. The player's spaceship can be upgraded throughout the game and the player character himself can be developed using a perk system.[3]

### Factions

There are seven main factions in the game. Two being aliens and the rest representing various humanoid factions which are split into separate alliances that are usually fighting each other. These factions are the Empire, the Democratic Union, the Free Traders, the Clatz of the Nest, the revolutionary Clatz, the bandits and the civilians.

## History

The Precursors has been in development for PC and Xbox 360 from Kyiv-based developer Deep Shadows; the Xbox 360 version was later cancelled. The game was built based on Deep Shadows in-house game engine Vital Engine 3 which also powers Software:White Gold: War in Paradise. The game was first demonstrated in August 2005 at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany and at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in May 2006.

The Precursors was released on the 4 December 2009 as retail for the PC in Russia.[1] In May 2010, a spokesperson from Deep Shadows confirmed that the console version of the game has been put "on hold" indefinitely.[4] In December 2010, an English version was made available via digital distribution by GamersGate.[5] and online retailer Beamdog.[6] On February 4, 2017 a Steam re-release followed.[7]

After the end of official support by Deep Shadows, remaining bugs and issues, like the missing voice overs in the localized English version,[8] were fixed by the game community via unofficial patches which also form the base of and are included in the current English digital distribution versions of the game.[9]

## Reception

The Precursors received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[10]

## See also

* Parkan (videogame)
* Software:White Gold: War in Paradise

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.russobit-m.ru/catalogue/item/predtechi/ The Precursors at Russobit-M
2. ↑ http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/objects/825/825295.html The Precursors summary
3. ↑ Rossignol, Jim (4 January 2011). "Wot I Think: Precursors | Rock Paper Shotgun". https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/01/04/wot-i-think-precursors/.
4. ↑ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=245906 The Precursors canned for Xbox 360
5. ↑ http://www.bluesnews.com/s/117122/english-precursors-and-xenus-2-released English Precursors and Xenus 2 Released
6. ↑ "English Precursors and Xenus 2 Released - Blue's News Story". http://www.bluesnews.com/s/117122/english-precursors-and-xenus-2-released.
7. ↑ "Precursors on Steam". https://store.steampowered.com/app/547930/Precursors/.
8. ↑ "The Precursors Fan Improvement Pack". beamdog.com. http://www.beamdog.com/products/the-precursors-fan-improvement-pack. Retrieved 2014-09-20. "This pack, made by the kind folks over at RPG Watch, adds Russian audio to fill in some missing gaps from the English version of the game."
9. ↑ "Wesp5's Patches And Kickstarter - Updated". Blue's News. 2013-04-05. http://www.bluesnews.com/s/140527/wesp5_s-patches-and-kickstarter-updated. Retrieved 2014-09-20. "Here's a flurry of news from Wesp5, who has released several of his unofficial patches for unsupported games [...] there's a new Precursors patch on Mod DB and The Patches Scrolls to update Deep Shadows' shooter to version 1.7."
10. ↑ "The Precursors for PC Reviews - Metacritic". https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-precursors/critic-reviews/?platform=pc.

## External links

* Deep Shadows' official website (English language section)
* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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