Maata Games, a gaming company based in Arnhem, the Netherlands, is partnering with Philippine BPO (business process outsourcing) firm Next BPO Solutions Inc. (NBSI) to develop a new massively multi-player online game (MMOG).

Called “Erectus,” the real-time strategy and browser-based game will be free to play by large numbers of people at the same time. Erectus is the story of two warring civilizations, Home Sapiens and Homo Erectus, set about 130,000 years ago. The game targets players 16 years and older.

Maata Games managing partner Paul Ludwig said gameplay and storyline conceptualization, design, and development were already completed in the Netherlands, but coding and programming will be done in Davao by NBSI developers.

Maata Games previously considered outsourcing to Eastern Europe, but decided to partner with a Philippine BPO for game development due to lower cost, but high-quality game developers who are able to work efficiently within a team environment. 

“One thing that I was very sure of is programmers here are really qualified to do the job…I am certain the job here will be done properly,” said Ludwig.

Ludwig added that the company has sent a scrum master to prepare the NBSI staff for game development, and he would be checking on the progress regularly as well. Development began earlier this month and is expected to be completed on March 2015. 

The game will be introduced in English, Dutch, Japanese, and Tagalog. After the game is launched, Ludwig said Maata Games will continue to partner with NBSI in hopes to develop a mobile game application.

The Erectus gameplay involves raising a civilization to form alliances with or attack other players. The game also features a shop where players can buy improvements and upgrades. What sets it apart from similar MMOG games is its focus on storyline and rich historical content.