Rift: Planes of Telara is one of the first three MMO projects announced by publisher Trion Worlds (previously known as Heroes Of Telara), as a dynamic fantasy MMORPG developed internally for a 2011 release. The game is set in a world being torn apart by dimensional "rifts" that tear into the land of Telara, releasing powerful forces that threaten the very existence of the entire universe. Rifts and other dynamic events can be triggered by players, scheduled by the development team, or even occur spontaneously. Dynamic events within the game can lead to a range of changes across the world, including everything from minor events to dramatic shifts in the game's landscape and the opening of new areas. Players will connect with hundreds of thousands of other gamers to battle creatures overrunning the world, as well as each other.