Not so long after THQ showed us that Darksiders II is a game to watch out for in 2012 comes the disappointing news that Warhammer: Dark Millennium Online is set to reduce the epic MMO scale to a more manageable single-player experience with less massively multiplayer online elements.
A recently issued press release offers up the skinny from THQ president Brian Farrell on the game that’s now set to be “an immersive single-player and online multiplayer experience with robust digital content, and engaging community features.” Here’s what Farrell had to say in regards to the all-important ‘why’ part of Dark Millenium’s new direction.
“As previously announced, we have been actively looking for a business partner for the game as an MMO. However, based on changing market dynamics and the additional investment required to complete the game as an MMO, we believe the right direction for us is to shift the title from an MMO to a premium experience with single and multiplayer gameplay, robust digital content and community features. Because we believe strongly in the high-quality and vast creative work that is in production, this is the right decision for both our portfolio and for gamers devoted to this powerful property.”
Unfortunately, the potentially bad news didn’t stop there. As a result of the project redirection, there have been several layoffs at developer Vigil Games and another THQ-owned internal studio, Relic Entertainment. Vigil Games was hit hardest with the loss of 79 full-time employees, while 39 employees at Relic Entertainment have been let go.
Given our positive thoughts on the recently released and mostly single-player Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, it’s certainly possible that Dark Millennium could scale back well.
Are you excited for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium or disappointed that it’s no longer an MMO?
