Following a successful open beta that kicked off in late May, Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent is now fully operational, free to play for anyone who has signed up at the Atlus Online community website. With the official launch comes a screenshot contest, a national anthem contest, and the opening of the premium item store, which includes a limited edition Jackpack, featuring items sporting the likeness of Atlus mascot Jack Frost.

Gotta love it when new free MMO games launch just in time for the weekend, right? Visit Atlus Online to sign up and play.

JoyImpact's Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent is the first of many games to be available through Atlus's online gaming and anime portal. Initially announced in February of this year, the game has passed through the rigors of limited access beta and is now available to play for anyone with a free Atlus Online account.

Licensed to Atlus by HanbitSoft, Neo Steam is a cutesy steampunk game that pits 19th-century steam technology against magic. It looks...well it looks like a cutesy Korean online game, but being a big fan of all things steamy and punky, I might just give it a go.

Announced to the world back in February, Atlus Online is an online community for fans of Atlus games, role-playing, and anime, three passions that generally coincide quite closely to one another. The company has now completed phase one, which evidently involved plastering their mascot all over the front of the webpage and implementing a few new features, such as the Oekaki Wall, a forum featuring a java applet that allows users to create and share artwork on the fly. They've even got themselves a Twitter account, which means they've officially joined the internet now.

Head on over to AtlusOnline.com to join in the festivities.

Announced earlier this month, Atlus Online is a community portal for fans of Atlus games and anime, which will feature a wide variety of online games for the community to participate in. The first of said games has now been revealed as Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent, developed by JoyImpact and licensed to Atlus by HanbitSoft. It's 19th-century steam-based technology versus magic in a world where two nations battle it our over a resource called Neo Steam. Players will choose a faction, class, and a special customizable pet that acts as their guide as they explore the game world, even using special abilities to assist in battles.

"With an engaging, steampunk-inspired storyline and aesthetic, Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent is a fresh take on the standard ‘fantasy' MMO game genre," said Shinichi Suzuki, president and CEO, Atlus. "Atlus Online is excited to bring this popular game in its new incarnation to a wide range of players around the world. Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent is a great first entertainment experience to lay the foundation of the unparalleled content and unmatched social interaction planned for the Atlus Online portal."

Players interested in knowing more can visit the game's official website at http://neosteam.atlusonline.com to look at pretty artwork until Atlus gives us more information.

Atlus isn't just creating an online community portal dedicated to Atlus and anime fans. They've launched a new online division, dedicated to doing so. Atlus has gathered a team of online gaming industry veterans to help nurture the new portal and accompanying online games, helmed by Director of Online Games Tyler Kim, formerly of online game operator K2 Games, ArenaNet, and GoPets.

“Atlus has long wanted to create an online portal that would become the daily destination for anyone looking for a fresh and engaging online entertainment experience,” said Shinichi Suzuki, president and CEO, Atlus. “Atlus Online will emerge as an extremely user-focused destination that is fully accessible to each and every one of its members. From amazing games to play to exciting contests, exceptional content and great community interaction, we are convinced that Atlus Online will be a premiere interactive entertainment destination for online gamers and anime fans alike.”

Right now fans can visit the Atlus Online website and pre-register for the portal, which also nets them early access to Atlus Online's unannounced first title. Consider me all kinds of pre-registered.