CCP CEO states, ‘efforts were falling regretfully short.’
CCP Games announced today that development has been halted on the World of Darkness massively multiplayer online game.
In a statement, CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson expressed regret over the decision, saying, “I am truly sorry that we could not deliver the experience that we aspired to make. We dreamed of a game that would transport you completely into the sweeping fantasy of World of Darkness, but had to admit that our efforts were falling regretfully short. One day I hope we will make it up to you.”
While it had been expected that the purchase of White Wolf Games by CCP in 2006 would eventually result in an MMO centered around the acquired role-playing game publisher’s core product line, the World of Darkness MMO was first announced in 2010. The decision has resulted in the loss of 57 jobs at the publisher’s studio in Atlanta, GA, while remaining staff will be redirected to projects within the EVE product line.
Disappointing, to say the least. The World of Darkness setting is a brilliant place to house an MMO. A franchise much more associated with social interaction and intrigue than violent content (though plenty of that exists as well), the potential to create a unique and exciting online game is vast. But I’d rather have no World of Darkness MMO than a bad one, and if what was being developed wasn’t working out, this may be for the best.
