Dr Disrespect’s DEADROP game details: Vertical Extraction Shooter, NFTs, gameplay, more

Brad Norton
Deadrop video game cover art

The very first game from Dr Disrespect and his Midnight Society studio has been revealed. DEADROP, a ‘Vertical Extraction Shooter’ (VES) has begun its public development cycle and we now know what to expect. From release details to a gameplay overview, here’s what you need to know.

Less than a year out from the formation of Midnight Society and the team of veteran developers now has its first project out in the wild, to some degree. Officially titled DEADROP, moving on from the earlier ‘Project Moon’ moniker, Dr Disrespect’s own game is an FPS with a mix of PvP and PvE combat all in one.

While it’s still very early days yet, with players only just gaining access to the initial test build, we already know plenty about the ambitious title.

From a content schedule to NFT integration, here’s an early rundown on Midnight Society’s DEADROP game.


Contents:


Deadrop Teaser image from Midnight Society
DEADROP was revealed in full on July 30.

Is there a release date for DEADROP yet?

Currently, there is no concrete release date for DEADROP.

Given DEADROP is the first undertaking from Midnight Society, the team is taking its time iterating rather than committing to a release window years in advance.

So while a rough date for the full release is up in the air, we do know one thing for certain: A new playable build is set to launch every six weeks without fail. The first of these ‘Snapshots’ went online on July 30, giving players their first taste of the game in action.

With just one weapon and one accessible area, the project is set to evolve over the coming years with members of the community giving their input throughout the entire development cycle.

DEADROP platforms

For the time being, DEADROP is only available on PC for those with early access through Founders Pass NFTs, more on that below.

Though Midnight Society also has plans to release the game across both PlayStation and Xbox hardware in the near future. Exactly when this initial build will be available on console, however, remains up in the air.

For those looking to mirror the controller FPS experience on PC in the meantime, that support will be made available in the next Snapshot, devs informed us, so you won’t have to wait long.

DEADROP gameplay details

Described as a ‘Vertical Extraction Shooter’, DEADROP twists the typical Battle Royale formula by forcing players to fight through a towering skyscraper, as opposed to a sprawling island.

Based on Doc’s early comments, a fire spreads from the base of said building, ensuring all players trapped within climb to the top for a safe getaway.

As a competitive title at its core, the goal of DEADROP appears similar to the likes of Escape From Tarkov. Players will seemingly load into a match with their chosen loot and aim to extract with more valuable equipment.

Between games, players are transported to a hub location known as the Hideout. While this area is barebones in the early build, it appears this is where loot can be traded, weapons can be tested, and loadouts can be customized.

“Our high-level gameplay goals are to capture the essence of arena shooter level design with the scale and scope of battle royale player counts, and the session-to-session gameplay mechanics of extraction-based shooters,” a July 8 blog post explained.

Further updates shared in Snapshot 3 touched on core movement features players can grow accustomed to. Be it sliding mechanics that differ depending on the surface, vaulting, or using ziplines, there are plenty of ways for players to navigate through the map.

Exact player counts, loot rarities, and deeper mechanics are all yet to be nailed down as the game is still in very early development. Though with each six-week cycle, we’re sure to learn plenty more about DEADROP’s core gameplay loop, so we’ll keep you updated right here with all the latest details.

How NFTs interact with DEADROP

Before DEADROP was even DEADROP, we knew NFTs would play a key role. Founders Pass NFTs were announced on March 15, giving 10,000 owners early access to Midnight Society’s first game.

In minting one of these Founders Pass NFTs, users also generated a unique Variant avatar which can then be traded on crypto marketplaces.

Dr Disrespect quickly looked to defend this practice amidst backlash stemming from the announcement, assuring no one has to own NFTs “to play the game. You can’t buy your way to win,” he said.

For the time being, that’s the extent of NFT functionality in DEADROP, though it appears to be just the start of a deeper integration moving forward. From in-game cosmetics to tradeable loot, nothing has yet been ruled out so we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for any further developments in that regard.

In the meantime, check out some of the other upcoming titles:

The Elder Scrolls 6  | GTA 6 | Wolverine | Spider-Man 2 | Forspoken | Pokemon Violet & Scarlet | Wonder Woman | DokeV | FFXVI | Avatar Frontiers of Pandora | Dragon Age 4 | Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild sequel | The Witcher 3 next-gen patch  | Avatar Frontiers of Pandora | Haunted Chocolatier | Hogwarts Legacy | The Expanse: A Telltale Series | Lies of P

About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com