Category: Defunct

No one lives forever, not just the name of a Bond film. Here on MMF, rule numero uno is that all MMOs, like any living entity, will one day die. The only question is when.

38 Studios Unveils Project Copernicus


We’ve known about 38 Studios’ plan to bring forth an MMO for quite some time, and with the bad news of late (money trouble, not paying loans, meeting with the governor, not paying employees, etc) it may be rather difficult to focus on the fact that 38 Studios is still working on said MMO. While very little is known about the game, 38 Studios released the above fly-through which showcases (at the very least) the art-style that we can expect.

Hopefully we see plenty more from 38 Studios in the future. With an impressive array of names including Todd McFarlane and a story written by none other than the man who owns my very soul, R.A. Salvatore (the monolith crumbling was not my fault, that contract was still fulfilled). Kingdoms of Amalur was a fun game, despite some criticisms, and it would be a grave disappointment to see such an amazing team lose out because of the bean counters.

More on 38 Studios and Project Copernicus as it appears.

38 Studios Missing Payments, Wants More Taxpayer Money


Ever since 2010, I did not think a developer could rattle my nerves as much as Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and Gary Whiting, but 38 Studios and Curt Schilling are certainly looking to prove me wrong on all accounts. For the taxpayers of Rhode Island, the investment made by their state government by offering $75 million to 38 Studios to relocate and bring 450 jobs to the state, has turned into a nightmare. At this point in time if 38 Studios goes bankrupt, taxpayers will be on the hook for $112 million over the next eight years. Two days ago I reported that Governor Chafee had met with Curt Schilling to discuss keeping the company solvent.

Now we know that 38 Studios did not make its loan payment on May 1st. The Associated Press is reporting that Curt Schilling is now asking for more money from the state, although the amount has not been disclosed to the public. Governor Chafee, who did not support the loan citing 38 Studios’ lack of a successful release record, has committed to protecting the state’s investment and securing the taxpayer money, but has not responded to the request for additional funding.

While the loan doesn’t come directly from the taxpayer coffers, the agreement set up with 38 Studios means that Rhode Island will pay the lenders in case the studio defaults. So if 38 Studios loses, everyone in Rhode Island is going to pay for it.

We’ll have to wait and see as to what happens.

(Source: Associated Press)

Stargate Worlds Just Can't Die, Yet Another Lawsuit


Some of you may remember the Ponzi scheme that Stargate Worlds and MMOGuls allegedly turned out to be. I do, and I distinctly apologize to my editor for forgetting that I had duct taped and locked you in the basement, but then again that is what happens when you interrupt my Diablo 3 time to ask me to talk about Stargate Worlds and Gary Whiting, I don’t care how many times you say please. It has been 18 months since I’ve had to talk about Stargate Worlds, and boy does the time fly when your blood isn’t boiling.

First of all, let’s set something straight: Stargate Worlds is never coming back. Last we heard back in 2010, MGM pulled the license and has absolutely no intention on letting it loose again. Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment’s court appointed receive is in the process of dismantling the long-dead development company and selling it off piece by piece.

But it doesn’t end there, and karma has found its mark. Gary Whiting, noted Ponzi Schemer Multi-Level Marketer is on the receiving end of a growing number of lawsuits by investors in the Stargate MMO. Whiting, who owes more than $6.2 million thanks to two other lawsuits, has another on his hands to the tune of $4 million, from 17 plaintiffs under the accusation that Whiting mislead them into investing in the disastrously failed MMO.

According to the plaintiffs, Whiting lied about Stargate Worlds being near finished, stole millions from the company coffers and never repaid loans.

We’ll see how this turns out in court. I won’t, because this is the last I’ll post about Stargate Worlds.

(Source: The Arizona Republic)

Rhode Island Working To Keep 38 Studios Solvent


Let’s talk history. Back in 2010, Rhode Island lured 38 Studios from Massachusetts to their own state with the promise of a $75 million loan, under the promise that 450 jobs would be created. The loan was a product of controversy among Rhode Island politicians, especially as the loan would be hedged on a studio that had yet to put out a product.

Earlier this year, 38 Studios put out Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a single player RPG meant to fund the company’s ongoing production of an MMORPG set in the same universe. The game sold, although it received some harsh criticism for being generic, and while fun doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel or innovate the genre.

The Providence Journal states that Governor Chafee has met with 38 Studios to discuss keeping the company solvent. There are no further details to report at this time other than remarks that 38 Studios has been put on a “tight timeframe.”

(Source: Providence Journal)

Dominus Is Dead, Announces Pitchblack Games


It is with a heavy heart that I have to say goodbye, or at least goodbye for now. We simply cannot deliver the game you deserve with the resources we have. We never quit trying, even when hope faded, because you – our community – kept us inspired.

It is a sad day for sandbox fans, as another title has died on the operating table. Dominus, or Prime: Battle for Dominus as it was once known as, is being shut down mid-development due to a lack of resources over at Pitchblack Games. This may not be the end of Pitchblack Games, or Dominus, however.

Interested investors are kindly asked to email info@pitchblackgames.com. The notion of using Kickstarter has been thrown around by the community, with no response from Pitchblack on the matter.

Either way, it is sad to see another prospective gem fizzle out before it even has a chance to compete.

(Source: Pitchblack Forums)

Warhammer 40k MMO Officially Cancelled


If this announcement sounds familiar, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. This time the announcement is official, Warhammer: Dark Millennium Online has been cancelled. Well, somewhat. In a press release today, THQ announced that the Dark Millennium will no longer be an MMO, but will instead become a single player game. So the title is dropping the “Online” and will henceforth be known as Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium, and thus is no longer a topic of conversation here at MMO Fallout.

 THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced that it has refocused Warhammer® 40,000®: Dark Millennium™ from a Massively Multiplayer Online game to an immersive single player and online multiplayer experience with robust digital content, and engaging community features. Further product details, platforms and release timing will be announced at a later date.

In addition, over 100 employees have been laid off from the struggling developer. We already know that Dark Millennium was being developed with help from the Space Marine title, so the new iteration is likely to become a spiritual sequel. Dark Millennium Online was already looking at trouble with THQ acknowledging a lack of funds to publish the game.

As a side note, in a past poll 23% of MMO Fallout viewers believed either Activision or Trion should publish Dark Millennium.

(Source: THQ press release)

Kingdoms of Amalur Online Perhaps Later This Year


“From the mediocre game that nobody bought and doesn’t really like that much, comes a big giant version of that game!”
-Todd McFarlane

Todd has a point. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning released one month ago and sales figures place the title at over one third of a million sales. Now that gamers are well versed in the realm of Amalur and the inner working concepts of fate, the team at 38 Studios is instituting phase two of Operation Franchise: Release an MMO. Labeled Project Copernicus, the Kingdom of Amalur MMO is set for release later this year, 2012.

I have my own concerns over Amalur’s prospects for a 2012 release. Assuming the game can hit its 2012 release, the folks at 38 Studios will be competing against The Secret World, TERA, Guild Wars 2, the new World of Warcraft expansion, Neverwinter, and more. Never mind the recent and future free to play transitions of existing MMOs, of course the existing market as it is.

I have high hopes for Amalur Online (my name), but I also recognize the kind of risks that are taken when a developer puts out an MMO for the first time. Crafting an MMO is very different from creating a single player game, and 38 Studios did the smart move by creating a fan base and setting out a base expectation for quality.

More on Amalur Online (not the actual name) as it appears.

Development Sunsets On Stellar Dawn


Back in August I wrote an article titled “Does Jagex Have Any Enthusiasm For Stellar Dawn?” In it, I referred to the disconnect between the complete lack of information regarding Jagex’s upcoming MMO and the fact that in August of the (at the time) release year, information on the game was virtually nonexistent. No screenshots, very vague trailers, and barely enough information regarding gameplay t fill a synopsis. Considering Jagex’s upcoming release of Transformers Universe, and the fact that Stellar Dawn is already saddled with the major financial disaster that was MechScape, I questioned whether or not Jagex had the will or desire to ever complete Stellar Dawn.

Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard has confirmed today that development on Stellar Dawn has ceased. In a post on the RuneScape forums, Gerhard says that the decision was not made lightly and was driven by the need to concentrate resources on Jagex’s other titles.

Rest assured that we will review the status of the Stellar Dawn project in the future so long as an appetite for the game remains. I hope Jagex can rely on your ongoing support.

So Stellar Dawn’s future is uncertain at best.

(Source: RuneScape forums)

Buffy MMO and Firefly MMO Canned


You may know Multiverse from…well you probably don’t know about Multiverse. You may know about the game engine because of two specific IPs set to have MMOs on the platform: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly. Those looking forward to questing alongside Buffy or traveling the stars in the distant future will have to turn elsewhere. Multiverse has shut down production due to lack of funding, and has ceased operations as of December.

Although thousands of developers showed interest in the Multiverse Platform, Multiverse wasn’t able to achieve a profitable business model. As a result, Multiverse ceased operations in December 2011 due to lack of funding.

This isn’t the end of the Multiverse platform, however. According to the website, a group of people are working to start a nonprofit foundation to take over the platform and to support developers who still wish to use the engine.

(Source: Multiverse Website)

The MMO That Wasn’t: The Agency


Looking at the success of games like CrimeCraft and the sales Tribes: Ascend during its continued beta period, I can’t help but feel that The Agency got the very short end of the stick when Sony cancelled it earlier this year. Perhaps if Sony had licensed an IP, say James Bond, the game would have gathered the internal enthusiasm to be thrown in the chopping block over, say, existing costs that show little promise. While Sony never made an official statement at the time, given their desire to release DC Universe as free to play in early 2011, it might be safe to say that The Agency would also have been released under a similar model. Instanced shooters are great, but historically have not proven to be viable subscription titles.

In the grand scheme of things, The Agency was likely a side project that Sony was working on alongside their other more serious projects, and when the company hit hard financial times and had to lay off a massive amount of people, it was the first project to get the boot. Perhaps at some point in the future, The Agency will be revived and Sony will continue where they left off.

But I’m an optimistic person.