Eschaton

Eschaton aka Eschaton: Chain of Command is a cancelled PC MMO by Gnostic Labs. It was going to be a sci-fi space mech game a la EVE Online.

Gameplay
Eschaton was to be a team-based combat space simulation. There are two factions, the Alephians and the Valtavech. You can play as either. The Valtavech have stronger firepower ships, whereas the Alephians have better support tech.

The gameplay is a free-fall dogfighting in various spacecraft. You can swoop in and help out in any battle for any reason. Other roles include trading, cargo freight, and even tax collecting.

There was to be thousands of planets to visit and explore and exploit. There were no quests or story line, just what you make of it. It was like No Man's Sky in a way.

Development
Eschaton was built on the Optasia game engine, developed by the dev team. The Optasia engine optimises resource management and compression. The multiplayer was built on the Syllego engine, specialising in peer to peer connections.

Cancellation
The game only got as far as its alpha demo before being discontinued in 2004. The reason for the cancellation is unknown, possibly lack of funding. Their dormant website lasted until 2006.

Video
Trailer.