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The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

It's always possible to be surprised with reveals of older MMOs, even after years of writing this column. For example, I had never heard that Valve was initially working on an MMO called Prospero in the late '90s before we posted on it a couple of weeks ago. It's crazy to me that parts of what could have been a groundbreaking online title were then repurposed for Half-Life and Portal. It's not necessarily bad how things turned out, mind you, but I do get lost wondering what might have been.

From time to time here on The Game Archaeologist, I like to turn our attention to MMOs-that-never-were: titles that died before launch thanks to funding shortfalls, studio collapses, or corporate bungling. We've covered titles like Wish, Ultima X, and Middle-earth Online, but today I want to catch up on several titles that have been haunting my list for a while now. So strap in as you get a six-pack of MMOs that were never released!

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The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: MMOs that died in development hell

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous

If you know me, you probably know that I have a weird fascination with alternate history. You know, the daydreams of historians when they're not rewriting the past to suit the latest trends. "What if?" my mind wonders, especially when it comes to MMOs.

You see, for every game that actually makes it to launch, there are several that die gasping and alone in the bowels of development hell. Sure, many of these are pathetic creatures that didn't really stand a chance anyway, but there are some that could have made an impact on the industry if they had reached release and been halfway decent. We'll never know what a world would look like with these games in them, but we can always muse, "What if?"

Continuing Perfect Ten's recent dark streak, here are 10 MMOs that died in development hell; it's to our eternal loss that we'll never get to play them.

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The Perfect Ten: MMOs that died in development hell originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New evidence supports Bungie's Destiny in MMOs

Larry Everett — Thu, 19 May 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, Rumors

If you have been following Bungie, then you are well aware of the alleged MMO in development by the creators of the single-player first-person shooter series Halo. Most are also aware of the "World of Warcraft in space" quote from a supposed ex-Bungie employee in the geek blog Kotaku. In that same article, the source named Project Tiger by another name: Destiny. At the time, there was nothing to validate the claims of the article, until now.

Now may be a good time to don your tinfoil hat.

On the fan site Halo.Bungie.org, a blogger may have discovered an actual connection between the words of the ex-Bungie employee and the name Destiny. While tracing the activities of Bungie employees, this intrepid pursuer found Podophobia Entertainment a company formed by Harold Ryan and Martin O'Donnell of Bungie. One of the trademarks issued by this company was the name Destiny listed as "computer game software downloadable from a global computer network."

Massively will let you draw your own conclusion for this, but pictured above is the trademarked logo for Podophobia's Destiny and next to that a Bungie employee wearing that same logo on a t-shirt. Tell us what you think in the comments.

New evidence supports Bungie's Destiny in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bungie admits to MMO hoax

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), MMOFPS, Events (Massively's Coverage)

Are they or aren't they? This is the multi-million dollar question for Bungie Studios, who had all but confirmed that it was working on a MMO of sorts. Apparently, this was either a ruse, a goof or a massive misunderstanding, as a Bungie representative clarified David Aldridge's comments at GDC as being nothing more than a tongue-in-cheek joke.

Bungie fans, prepare to have your heart broken, in three... two... one: "In rehearsal Aldridge was convinced that everybody got the joke. It was all in the delivery, he assured us, and he was certain it was clear that he was playfully riffing off of the recent rumors. Unfortunately, most people can't figure David out -- they can't process him. And we don't expect them to. You can't process David Aldridge with a normal brain. You'd need tiger blood and Adonis DNA."

While the studio tried to laugh off the miscommunication, this is sad news indeed for MMO fans who had hoped that Bungie was jumping into the ring. Last month we heard unconfirmed reports that this alleged MMOFPS was being developed under the code-name of Destiny.

Bungie admits to MMO hoax originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard's Pardo talks Bungie MMO

Jef Reahard — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), Interviews

A Bungie MMORPG is a rumor that simply won't die. Whether it's Joe Staten hinting at a persistent world during the recently concluded GDC, or Bobby Kotick telling investors that one of the reasons Bungie signed with Activision was to avail itself of Blizzard's vast customer service expertise, scuttlebutt about a Halo-themed MMO is a speculative fire that's hard to douse.

In a new interview at Next Gen, Blizzard boss Rob Pardo (co-designer on World of Warcraft) says his company could share resources with Bungie on an MMO project and furthermore, he'd love to play it. "I think that's one of the other reasons we've been so successful at Blizzard -- all of us play and love games. We're as big a fans as anybody. I would love to play a Bungie MMO. I think it would be cool," he said at last week's Blizzcon.

Pardo was also quick to point out that Blizzard is very focused on their own development, and talk of a Bungie collaboration is somewhat premature. "There are a lot of ifs there. It would have to be a very specific proposal," he said.

Blizzard's Pardo talks Bungie MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week on the MMO Report

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Humor, The MMO Report

This week's MMO report features two more guest stars. Last week's coffee-thieving werewolf is gone, replaced by two (admittedly adorable) World of Warcraft pets. You'll find your weekly dose of Massively love just after the 2:00 mark, so let's look at the news!

Casey covered the infamous Mythic billing glitch from last week, pointing out that one unfortunate player was hit with over $1,000 in charges. Dungeon Fighter Online -- which the G4 team got to play with at last year's PAX -- and its crazy player numbers got a look as well. Korea's gaming curfew, the newest SWTOR planet, and the Halo MMO got their fair share of news coverage as well, and the show wrapped up with a look at some reader mail.

Follow along after the jump for a look at the MMO Report, here for your viewing pleasure every Thursday night. Don't forget to visit our friends at G4TV as well!

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This week on the MMO Report originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former Ensemble staffer talks about cancelled Halo MMO

Rubi Bayer — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items

Here's a blast from the past for you: Halo MMO. The project from Ensemble studios -- codenamed Titan -- left a lot of disappointed fans when Ensemble closed and development was canceled.

We've not heard much from that area for several months, but IncGamers got a chance today to speak to Dusty Monk for some new information on the now-defunct MMO. Dusty -- now the founder of Windstorm Studios -- was a staffer for Ensemble and pretty heavily focused on the Halo project. He's got some interesting things to say about what could have been: "We had all this incredible talent, we had the right people, the right passion, we had a phenomenally successful IP - the Halo IP."

If you're a Halo fan thinking wistfully about what could have been, you'll definitely want to check out what else he had to say in this interview with IncGamers.

[Thanks to Belinda for the tip!]

Former Ensemble staffer talks about cancelled Halo MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is this concept art from the canceled Halo MMO?

William Dobson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Rumors

Last year, the news that a Halo MMO was once in development left us all wondering "what if?". The game was being made by Ensemble Studios, who put out the Xbox 360 RTS Halo Wars. The screenshot that was plastered over most stories about the cancellation looked decidedly World of Warcraft-y, and an Ensemble representative later said that the more advanced versions of the game fit the Halo theme much better. Perhaps it looked a bit like this. Some internet sleuthery on fansite Halo.Bungie.Org has uncovered this gallery of concept art from former Ensemble Studios artist Dylan Cole. The art doesn't appear to be from Halo Wars, and our friends at Joystiq raised the question: could this be from the canceled Halo MMO?

The art is marked as being from the "Halo Universe", which may simply be referring to the general Halo world -- but maybe it isn't. At the moment it's all speculation, and Joystiq has contacted Dylan Cole to see if anything can be cleared up. Whatever it was for, it's some fine work and well worth checking out, particularly for Halo fans (of which we hear there are a few). Start at page one of the gallery here.

Is this concept art from the canceled Halo MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Halo MMO: What could have been

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real-Life, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles

In an interesting article at Gamasutra, the last days of Ensemble Studios are chronicled to honor the mega studio and what they once were. Regardless of the titles that put them on the map, the studio had some great games in the works. One such game was the Halo MMO, which was confirmed late last year. The project -- codenamed Orion -- has been in the works, in one form or another, since 1998.

According to the article, this project was to be the new focus of the company. There was even a brand new facility being built to house the development of the game. The construction of that building suddenly stopped one day, and Microsoft informed the team that they would be closing down operations. The project originally known as Titan was no more. Check out the entire three-page article for more on the last days of Ensemble Studios.

The Halo MMO: What could have been originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Further details emerge on the canceled Halo MMO

Kyle Horner — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items

Shacknews had the chance to speak with Ensemble director of technology Dave Pottinger, who had quite a bit to say about the Halo MMO. The biggest surprise revealed was that the game had gotten a green light and was in development for a good length of time before leadership changed at Microsoft, and the title was canceled. Pottinger also acknowledge the fact that conceptual screens leaked were in fact designed with a very World of Warcraft mentality, although he stressed that what Ensemble actually ended up with internally at the time had more emphasis on feeling like the traditional Halo universe.

Combat was also a topic of discussion. Pottinger says the game's combat had a very classic MMO feel to it, but there was a leaning towards an "actiony" feel. Whether or not Ensemble's Halo MMO was or is a good idea, there's no denying the fact that a properly made title could still appeal to a lot of people.

Further details emerge on the canceled Halo MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bungie considers the challenges of a Halo MMO

Kyle Horner — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items

Bungie community and PR director Brian Jarrard recently told gamesindustry.biz that a Halo MMO has been the subject of "heated discussions" at the house that built Master Chief. Jarrard opines on the topic for a while, concluding that a lot of new lore and characters on top of the already-extensive universe that is Halo for a workable MMO.

That point of view rings quite true with us here at Massively. Typically, any time a non-MMO property is tapped for entry into the genre there are mountains of conceptual alterations that need to be made -- not to mention the catch 22 Jedi concession. You can't have a compelling Star Wars MMO without Jedi, however there needs to be some serious lore considerations if a developer is to allow hundreds of players run around their game world as laser-sword swinging, neo-space faring, monk/samurai. The same rule applies to the rare and elite Spartan warriors of the Halo universe.

Bungie considers the challenges of a Halo MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ensemble Studios was working on Halo MMO

Adrian Bott — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry

Gamasutra has broken the news that Ensemble Studios, responsible for Halo Wars, was working on a Halo MMO. It's not clear at what stage the project was canned, but Gamasutra's analysis based on available material is that it was probably cancelled in mid to late 2007.

Gamasutra has also gained access to some prototype UI and level screenshots. With the help of our own lead blogger here at Massively, Michael Zenke, they've attempted to unscramble how the UI might function. Michael points out the clear similarities with the World of Warcraft interface, identifying what appear to be a mana bar, inventory button, talent tree and other functions. Louis Wu of the unofficial Halo website halo.bungie.org offers expert commentary on the level shots, identifying the familiar and the hitherto unseen aspects.

As Gamasutra points out in the article, there are multiple development teams at work on Halo-related projects right now. It's therefore possible that a Halo MMO could still exist, but if it does, there's not a whisper of its presence so far.

Update: Apologies for referring to Ensemble Studios as 'closed'; they are scheduled to be closed after the release of Halo Wars, but this has not yet taken place.

Update 2: Gamespot's Rumor Control department has taken a long hard look at the evidence, and has pointed to a Flickr photostream containing 50 images of what appears to be a Halo MMO in development.

Ensemble Studios was working on Halo MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Action MMO powered by Crysis engine? That'll be The Day

Louis McLaughlin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles

Former employees of NCSoft and Phantagram have created a new studio to design a 'third-person massively multiplayer online action game'? And it's powered by CryENGINE 2, the same game engine used in Crysis? Tell me more.

As it says in the press release: Reloaded Studios are a Seoul-based game company that seem to lack neither experience nor funding. Their first project is entitled The Day, and it aims to have a heavy emphasis on PvP combat plus a unique, immersive storyline involving parallel worlds and the destruction of all humanity. I also aim to solo Illidan Stormrage tomorrow.

The Day joins a growing list of MMOs to use the Crysis engine, along with Entropia Universe and Blue Mars. They're both more virtual world than action MMO, though, and there's a lot of untapped potential in the latter. Planetside never made much of an impact, but games in a similar vein are a market waiting to happen -- even if it isn't a Halo MMO.

Action MMO powered by Crysis engine? That'll be The Day originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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