Kansas City Studio Builds Tactical Shooter Zero Ops
Four-person team Nerko is developing Zero Ops: Covert Warfare, a SOCOM-inspired shooter that drew over 1,200 players in closed beta.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in eSports
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Nerko, a four-person development team from Kansas City, Missouri, is developing Zero Ops: Covert Warfare, a tactical shooter inspired by SOCOM. The game entered closed beta with over 1,200 players across two beta weekends.
Why it matters
The project shows a small independent team from Kansas City pursuing a tactical shooter with deliberately hardcore rules, including no respawns, no health regeneration and no aim assist. Its planned PC and PS5 release gives the local development scene a visible title to watch.
Closed beta drew over 1,200 players who logged more than 1,440 hours across PC and PS5, with 72% of first-beta survey respondents saying round length felt about right. Dedicated servers run at 128-tick.
The players
Nerko
Nerko is a four-person independent development team based in Kansas City, Missouri, that is building Zero Ops: Covert Warfare.
The details
Zero Ops uses objective-based rounds with one life per player, friendly fire active at all times, and no aim assist on any platform. The game is built on Unreal Engine 5 and supports PS5-PC crossplay that players can disable, with a clan system already live on zeroopsgame.com.
Timeline
November 2027: Planned release of Zero Ops on PC and PS5
Season Trajectory
Zero Ops is built on Unreal Engine 5, the same engine that now underpins a growing share of high-end competitive shooters. Its hardcore design choices, including no respawns and no aim assist, place it against mainstream tactical shooters that have leaned toward forgiving mechanics.
Players who want to try the closed beta can sign up through the official Zero Ops site, which also hosts the clan system. Those who prefer the classic experience can use the optional server browser, which has no skill-based matchmaking.
The takeaway
Hardcore rules such as no respawns and no aim assist define Zero Ops, so players who want a demanding tactical experience should watch for the November 2027 PC and PS5 release. Crossplay can be disabled in settings if you prefer to play only against your own platform.
What happens next
A gameplay showcase is planned for soon after publication, and the War Grounds clan social hub is coming soon.
Further reading
For more on the local competitive gaming scene, see eSports.
More information
Sign up for the closed beta on the Zero Ops official site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MP1st.
Live Poll
Would you play a shooter with one life per round and no health regeneration?
