PvP MMORPG Prototype Development

I want to put a small, fully-playable slice of my dream MMORPG in players’ hands so we can validate the core loop before moving into full production. The focus is squarely on moment-to-moment PvP action—think the fluid combat of Black Desert Online, but set in a gritty dark-fantasy world, with virtually no quest grind outside a short tutorial.

Core pillars I need built:
• Real-time, skill-based combat (no tab targeting).
• An open, seamless zone where PvP is always enabled.
• Functional guild mechanics that let groups declare and wage wars.
• A basic instanced dungeon that supports small-group raids.
• High-fidelity visuals in a dark-fantasy style—detailed character models, moody lighting, and grounded environments.
• Networked play that can handle a modest concurrent population for testing (authoritative server preferred).
• Starter UI, inventory, and a minimal progression loop to keep players engaged during prototype sessions.

I’m happy to hear your engine recommendation; Unreal Engine’s graphical power is attractive, but if you can hit the visual bar and latency demands in Unity or another stack, I’m open.

Success for this phase is a downloadable build (PC) plus source, ready for closed-alpha sessions, along with brief technical documentation so future team members can extend the systems.

If your studio or small team has shipped—or at least publicly shown—action combat multiplayer projects before, let’s talk. Show me relevant gameplay clips or live builds and outline how you would break the work into milestones so we can move quickly toward playtesting.