Prologue: Go Wayback! is a survival adventure set in the heart of the unknown, where every decision you make determines your fate. You are dropped into a vast, wild landscape, armed with little more than an old, weathered map and the tools necessary to stay alive. Your mission is simple—reach the weather station—but how you get there, and whether you survive the journey, is entirely up to you.

The world is dynamic and unpredictable: the weather can change at a moment’s notice, forcing you to adapt to harsh storms, freezing temperatures, and the relentless forces of nature. You'll need to gather resources, find shelter, forage for food, and keep an eye on the horizon.

The map you hold is guiding you to your goal without telling you how to get there. The world is generated using machine learning technology, meaning every playthrough offers a completely different landscape.

No one will tell you where to go or how to survive. There are no hand-holding mechanics, no fixed paths, and no guarantees.

It’s a world where preparation is key, and improvisation is often the difference between life and death.

Will you find shelter and warmth? Will you have enough food to last? Will the weather turn against you at the worst possible time?

Your ability to read the environment, make the right decisions, and adapt to ever-changing challenges will determine whether you live to see the weather station—or whether the cold hand of death claims you along the way.

Prologue: Go Wayback! is the first step in a new journey for PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions which will culminate in the studio’s ultimate goal: project ‘Artemis’. Prologue combines Unreal Engine with custom machine-learning (ML) to generate maps and can generate millions of different maps with realistic terrain for players to explore. An evolution of this technology will be a highly specialized in-house game engine, 'Melba' which will be incorporated in the two games to follow Prologue, including a yet-to-be-announced title and project ‘Artemis’ — a massive sandbox world designed for emergent interactions, player creativity, and ultimate freedom.

PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions’ first game, Prologue: Go Wayback!, invites players into a gorgeous and daunting wilderness on Nov. 20 as it will leave open beta and enters Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store ($19.99, €19.99).

Start your journey with the above Early Access Announce Trailer, which showcases several new features coming to the game’s Early Access debut that offer players more variety and greater control over the conditions faced while trying to complete their run.

The Early Access release of Prologue: Go Wayback! marks a significant step forward in the development of Project Artemis, PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions' long-term mission to create and deliver a technology and platform that enables creation and emergent play at a massive scale.

Prologue: Go Wayback! is designed for players to create their own experiences. Community engagement is at the heart of PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions; the studio plans to develop new features with community feedback, and forge new tools for players to create new journeys as the game moves through Early Access. 

Based on community feedback from the ongoing Open Beta, various new game modes and settings will be available at Early Access launch, including:

• Custom Game Settings: Set the weather, time of day, world temperature, and customize gameplay settings to decide how easy or hard your odds of survival will be.
• Game Modes: Play the default “Go Wayback!” mode and chart your path to the Weather Tower. Challenge yourself in “Objective: Survive” and try to endure with limited resources for as long as possible, or take it easy with “Free Roam” mode, where the only risk of death is falling down a cliff.
• Map Editor: Draw your own map design, or import an image into the in-game Map Editor, and let the game generate a custom world for you to explore.

Together with the community, PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions plans to add new Game Modes, more Custom Game Settings, and more features for increased player customization and deeper gameplay throughout Early Access.

Key Features

• A New Map Every Time You Play: Explore vast, beautiful landscapes generated through an in-house machine learning algorithm guided by artists.
• Dynamic Weather System: Face drenching rains, freezing blizzards and rampaging thunderstorms across an environment where the weather can change at a moment’s notice.
• Emergent Player Freedom: No quest markers, no scripted path and nobody to tell you how to play. What you do is up to you. 
• Realistic Navigation: Use a compass, a map, natural landmarks and your survival skills. Learn to chart your path and navigate nature on a journey uniquely yours.
• A World To Get Lost In: Breathtaking landscapes are everywhere - from picturesque rivers to cliff bluffs and the golden rays at sunset, you won’t regret stopping to enjoy the view. 

Players are invited to jump into the Open Beta of Prologue: Go Wayback!, which today received its fourth update, adding new flashlights for survival variety at night and visual improvements to the river generation system.

Game Modes are also available for beta testing with today’s update.

Key Features:

• Explore a detailed world where emergent systems subtly influence gameplay
• Face unpredictable weather and ever-changing landscapes as you strive to escape the wilderness
• Advanced ML terrain generation ensures every session offers a slightly different experience with stunning views and diverse terrain
• Prepare: Use your environment and the tools you find to your advantage.
• Travel: Traverse the vast open world in search of food and shelters.
• Take Shelter: Shield yourself from extreme weather conditions affecting your stats. But don’t stay in too long. Use them instead to prepare for your next journey.
• Fix: Repair items and buildings you find on your way.
• Escape: Your ultimate goal is to reach the weather station and call for help.

In Prologue, you’re not just surviving. You’re exploring the wild, unknown, and trying to make it to your destination. How you get there is a story only you can tell.

Prologue: Go Wayback! is in development for PC (Steam / Epic Games Store).