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The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch
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!
The Perfect Ten: MMOs that died in development hell
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.
Stargate Worlds is not resting in peace as new lawsuit emerges
Travel back two years to when Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment was filing for bankruptcy and (unsuccessfully) attempting to sever ties with Gary Whiting, Chairman and CEO of the company. Stargate fans watched as their hopes for an MMO were dashed. Fast forward to present day, when Stargate Worlds appears back in the news. Unfortunately for fans, it has nothing to do with offering a sliver of hope that the game itself might also revive; instead, more lawsuits are being filed against Whiting and other Cheyenne employees. The newest lawsuit filed in Arizona includes 17 plaintiffs who accuse Whiting of misleading investors in various ways to obtain their cash. Some of the allegations leveled at Whiting include "negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, common-law fraud and securities fraud"; he's also accused of issuing loans to himself from the company's funds -- money that may still be in Whiting's possession, according to Cheyenne Mountain's court-appointed receiver, Keith Bierman of Phoenix-based MCA Financial Group.
The Perfect Ten: MMOs in movies and television
While 1982's Tron explored what virtual life might be like inside a massive video game, it wasn't until fairly recently that real MMOs have crossed the divide between niche and mainstream to be referenced in television and films. Depending on how you see it, this mainstream acceptance of geek culture can be a thing to be either celebrated or shunned. What's for certain, however, is that we've only started to see the beginning of such mentions. In today's Perfect Ten, I cobbled together a list of the first 10 MMO references that I know of from movies and TV shows. Some might be nothing more than a background detail or a throwaway line, while others are completely centered around the advertisement, er, massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. I tried hard not to use "cheats" such as fake MMOs featured in shows like The Guild, so this list is all about real-world titles with no sugar substitutes. Ready? Insert quarter and hit player one!
New Jim Brown interview talks Stargate Worlds
Fan website SaveStargate.org has posted the second part of its two-part interview with Jim Brown, one of the principle figures in the development of the troubled Stargate Worlds MMORPG. Alongside colleagues Todd Ellering and Daryl Wofford, Brown pitched the original idea for the sci-fi MMO to MGM way back in 2002, and went on to serve as the creative director at Dark Comet Games. The first part of the interview lays out the working relationship between the original team and controversial fundraiser Gary Whiting, as well as a bit of background on Cheyenne Mountain's troubles and the formation of Dark Comet. Part two touches on Brown's views regarding the current licensing situation, how close Stargate Worlds came to actually releasing, and what fans can do to make their voices heard for the future of the Stargate gaming franchise. "Let them [MGM] know you want Stargate games. That's the biggest thing. If CME can manage to succeed with SGW and SGR, that's great, and that means not only will you have those games to play, but there will be more that follow from other studios," Brown says.
Judge awards Stargate Worlds assets to Cheyenne Mountain, MGM terminates license [Updated]
The saga of Stargate Worlds took another interesting twist this week as an Arizona judge ended the legal battle over the assets of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. The company -- which is currently languishing under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection -- will retain control of all its game-related resources. The action settles a fraud complaint initiated by Cheyenne against Dark Comet Games and Fresh Start Studios, both formed by former Cheyenne employees looking to use company materials for the Stargate Resistance shooter released earlier this year. Though the ruling grants Cheyenne full control of its Stargate assets, completion of the long-suffering Stargate Worlds MMORPG is doubtful due to the recent expiration of the IP license from MGM Studios. Cheyenne founder Gary Whiting told the gaming blog Nerdvana that MGM issued a termination notice on November 3rd. While the notice doesn't affect Stargate Resistance, it does provide a huge obstacle for MCA Financial Group's bid to save the license for Stargate Worlds. MCA is a Phoenix-based company called in to supervise Cheyenne's restructuring under Chapter 11. [Update: Apparently, there's some discrepancy with what Nerdvana is reporting, or what Gary Whiting is saying. This blog post explains a bit more on how the judge actually didn't award full control of SGW back to Cheyenne.]
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment sells off Stargate assets
It's a troubling day for an already-troubled studio, as Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has sold off Stargate Resistance -- the third-person shooter title that was made to help keep the company afloat and fund further development of Stargate Worlds -- to a startup company called Fresh Start. Fresh Start is comprised of former Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment employees, which means that the title is still in the hands of its makers. Gamer/Law breaks down the recent events, and notes the salient details: that Fresh Start is in a joint venture agreement with CME to receive and run all of CME's assets (including Stargate Resistance), CME has the option to buy back these assets in the future, and there is no official word on Stargate Worlds. Gamer/Law speculates that there is either "some unpublicised arrangement has been entered into, or Cheyenne's Stargate MMO rights are an asset to be sold to satisfy creditors, or (possibly) Cheyenne has lost those rights following its entry into bankruptcy." If you haven't been following the long, painful saga of CME and Stargate Worlds, suffice to say that this promising MMO suffered from lack of employee pay, devs jumping ship, extensive layoffs, lawsuits, Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a vague suit brought against former CEO Gary Whiting, and the sudden shift from developing SGW to getting Stargate Resistance out the door. However, whether this latest development will be a positive one to offer hope for a SGW resurrection or the death knell for the game has yet to be seen.
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment refused requested board changes
The last thing we'd heard from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, they were filing for Bankruptcy protection, and were attempting to sever all ties with Gary Whiting, Chairman and CEO of the company. However, according to a filing unearthed by Martuk over on the Ten Ton Hammer forums, it would appear that their motion to remove him -- and the restraining order against him -- were denied by the courts. Rumors of financial mismanagement and all manner of shenanigans by Whiting and others have been rumbling around for quite some time. Thankfully, the court did see fit to intervene insofar as to require both parties to name two people they would recommend for receivership -- in essence, someone to protect the company from any further wrongdoing. The question now becomes how this is going to play out in terms of the future for Stargate Worlds, considering what is becoming of the court battle and the seeming rancor between parties involved. We'll be sure to keep you up to date as the story progresses.
Cheyenne files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, severs ties with Gary Whiting
Anyone who has been keeping an eye on the situation surrounding Stargate Worlds, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and related publishing company FireSky, knows that there's been trouble brewing for some time. We've seen struggles to get funding, employees going unpaid, lawsuits for unpaid bills, and some of the studio's main names leaving the building. Still, they just released the FPS based on the work they'd been doing for Stargate Worlds, called Stargate: Resistance. The hope was that S:R would give Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment a much needed cash infusion. Now, news has come to light that not only has Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, but they've also severed all ties with Gary Whiting -- former Chairman and CEO of CME. Add to that, the shareholders and Cheyenne Mountain have joined forces against Whiting in civil case (CV2010-003106) filed in Maricopa County, naming many other ventures including the curious "interactive social network," MMOGuls Inc. as co-defendants, in a civil complaint "alleging various wrong doing against the Company." A statement detailing the company's current status was posted today to the Stargate Worlds forums. We've included it behind the break for those interested. In the meantime, let's hope that the change in leadership, combined with a reorganization under Chapter 11, and the release of Stargate: Resistance proves to be the boon that Cheyenne Mountain needs to get back on track -- and into the black.
Stargate: Resistance pre-orders open for Feb. 10 delivery
So, yeah, Stargate fans. That whole Stargate: Worlds MMO you've been waiting for since forever? Well, at least you'll get to shoot things while you wait some more. Stargate: Resistance, the third-person online shooter that FireSky and Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment inexplicably dropped news on last month in lieu of anything to say about the game fans have actually been anticipating, is set to hit next week -- February 10 -- and can be pre-ordered for $19.95 from Direct2Drive. Hey, it could be good -- or it could be a quick-and-dirty attempt to recoup the costs incurred developing an MMO that may never come out. (C'mon, we were all thinking it.) [Via GateWorld; Thanks, Robin!]
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment: What happened to SGW?
Fans have been waiting for the Stargate:Worlds MMO for what feels like forever, and a few weeks ago got a surprise in the form of a Stargate shooter instead of any more news on the MMO. We got a brief explanation on the reasoning behind this, but Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment covered things in a bit more detail yesterday. The CME team took some time to discuss Stargate:Resistance with fansite GateWorld, and also talked quite a bit about the decision to shelf Stargate:Worlds for the time being. As producer Kathryn Dutchin pointed out the answer isn't a cut-and-dried, single-sentence explanation. When a long-running, extensive project like Stargate:Worlds begins to run into trouble, there are a lot of decisions to be made, questions to be answered, and problems to be sorted out, and it takes time. The ultimate goal is obviously to complete the project as originally intended, but there comes a point where the team is forced to say "This isn't going to happen. What next?" "What next" in this case is Stargate: Resistance, but we'll wish CME the best of luck and continue keeping our fingers crossed for that MMO. The full interview is a must read for fans of either game, and can be found here.
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment reveals Stargate shooter instead of MMO
After over two years of work on Stargate Worlds and an increasingly dubious outlook, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment launched a website revealing Stargate Resistance. The game defines itself as a third-person shooter, and is scheduled for a release very soon -- Q1 2010. This is a bit of a startling development for fans who have been anticipating Stargate Worlds, as well as those who have given up on the franchise completely. So what does this mean for Stargate Worlds? Information is a little scattered, but SGW team member fan Ian Stock gave the most concise explanation: "SGW will be worked on; but at a much lower rate compared to that of Resistance...That is until such a time when SG:R has become comfortable financially (enough) to then begin ramping up SGW again." The latest news on the Stargate Worlds site highlights the screenshots that were revealed back in November, so the Stargate Worlds development team seems to have moved their attention to Stargate Resistance for the time being.
Stargate Worlds: We're still kicking, the pics prove it
It's been a long, difficult road for Stargate Worlds -- a game that has been mired in financial woes for quite some time. Now and again we do get to report some positive news about the sci-fi MMO, but it's clear that Stargate Worlds isn't out of the woods quite yet. Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment recently made an announcement to the game's fan community, thanking them for their support through tough times. CME stated, "We know you expect nothing less than the AAA content in Stargate Worlds our development team is working hard to give you along with some additional exciting news we will be revealing very soon! We want to thank everyone for their continued support and passion for Stargate Worlds and we can't wait to show you more of what we've been cooking up over here." As to what they've been working on, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment released some new screenshots of the armor and weapons for the Goa'uld, Jaffa, Soldier, and Scientist classes. CME explains, "Each of these armor sets will have unique traits that make them ideal for certain situations. As players become familiar with each world and the various environments they will encounter, they will discover which sets of armor best suit their play." The most recent Stargate Worlds images can be seen at the top of the gallery on the SGW Community Site.%Gallery-18792%
Stargate Worlds site returns, but funding still tight
Over the weekend the Stargate Worlds site had planned a bit of maintenance which took their site offline on the 9th. From what we know now, the plan was that they would be migrating servers since they've been experiencing problems with their hosting. Many expected the site to be back up within a day or so - a normal time-frame for a DNS change and many cases of forum maintenance. When the entire site hadn't come back up by the 12th - and their Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites remained eerily silent - we decided to reach out to them and see how things were going.While we're glad to see that the Stargate Worlds web site is now back on line, the note that we received back from Timothy N. Jenson, President and CEO of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment was a bit disheartening. While the team remains optimistic, it indicates that they are continuing to have funding issues despite the news that they'd picked up new investors in the tail-end of August. For those interested in reading the full statement we received, we've included it behind the break.
Stargate Worlds makes its television debut
Stargate Universe premiered last night, and sharp-eyed fans may have gotten a glimpse of the long-promised Stargate Worlds MMO. SGU slipped the footage in as part of Eli Wallace's story.David Blue plays the character of Eli Wallace, a gamer who accidentally found his way into the Icarus program. "Some of his friends in the gaming world have told him that there is a puzzle in the game that can't be solved. So from Eli's point of view, that of course means that he has to solve it. He spends a month of his life working on this puzzle trying to figure it out and in doing so, ends up getting the attention of Stargate Command.", says Blue. The puzzle turns out to contain embedded code, and before he knows it, Eli finds himself aboard a spaceship, recruited to solve a much larger puzzle.The game that Eli is seen playing is none other than Stargate Worlds. News of this on the official site (the first update since May 26th), sparked some excitement among fans. However, it also left them wondering: does this mean hope for the game, or does it just mean the video clip was handy?
Stargate Worlds receives new funding, development to continue
The sci-fi MMO Stargate Worlds had mostly fallen off of our radar, and with good reason. It's seemed that Stargate Worlds would not see a release -- the developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment faced major cash flow issues resulting in employees not being paid and subsequent lawsuits. There were also departures of some of the major individuals connected with the game's development that painted a grim picture. There has been the occasional glimmer of hope of obtaining more funding, though, and some of the Stargate Worlds team has stuck with the project as additional financing for the title was sought. Now it seems things may be turning around for Stargate Worlds with the latest bit of info we came across, that Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has gotten that needed funding. Dana Massey over at MMORPG.com recently spoke with CME about where the project stands. Massey writes, "Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has received the funding that they believe will allow them to complete work on Stargate Worlds, and eventually pay back vendors and past and present employees who are still owed back pay."
Rumor: Stargate Worlds facing an August 1st deadline to raise capital
Stargate fans have long since been left wondering what's been going on with Stargate Worlds, but come August 1st -- or sometime soon thereafter -- their wait may finally be over. The rumor stems from a claim made by a recently departed employee who claims MGM has given Firesky until the beginning of next month to acquire funding or face having the licensed pulled.Apparently a group of doctors who could potentially invest up to $8 million are the game's last hope. However, the same ex-employee says there's little chance the deal will actually go through by the deadline. Shane Hensley, Firesky's director of new business development, has said that they're continuing to speak with investors -- including the doctors. While he also says they've never considered scrapping the project, he doesn't deny the claim, either.Ultimately, Hensley has hope but seems to be realistic about the situation, saying, "I doubt this will last much longer, but those who are here currently are amazingly dedicated and continue to make progress on our projects despite the circumstances." We'll keep you updated on any new progress, and hopefully there's a happy ending to all of this, even though our instincts are currently warning us to think otherwise.
Firesky confirms Dan Elggren's departure
We reported earlier this week about rumours that Stargate Worlds' Executive Producer Dan Elggren had left Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment/Firesky for Gazillion Entertainment. However, the reasons for his decision were left rather vague aside from excerpts from Elggren's family blog. Firesky's Kevin Ballentine officially commented on his departure in an MMORPG.com blog post:"While we are saddened by Dan's departure, we believe that Stargate Worlds will benefit from this unforeseen change. Dan's guidance has been crucial to getting Stargate Worlds to this point, but we believe fresh eyes may find ways to improve the game moving forward. We wish to express our appreciation to Dan for all he has done for our company and wish him the best of success in his new endeavors. Dan will be transitioning his responsibilities to Rod Nakamoto, senior vice president of product development, over the next week."
Stargate Worlds studio head gates to Gazillion
Dan Elggren, studio head of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, is heading over to Gazillion Entertainment. CME is the studio responsible for Stargate Worlds, a game that always seems to skirt the edge of being Wraith-sucked in the womb. TenTonHammer has a quote from the Elggren's family blog (now locked), where it's revealed that over 100 employees have left CME since October and Elggren was no longer being paid. Allegedly, Stargate Worlds is only a few months from launch.We've contacted Gazillion for official word of what Elggren will do at the company. Hopefully, this time around, he'll get paid until he ships the product -- and, if it's not a colossal failure, maybe even after.[Via Massively]
Stargate Worlds studio head leaves company for Gazillion Entertainment
Dan Elggren has apparently left troubled Stargate Worlds developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment / Firesky for recently announced Gazillion Entertainment. This news certainly doesn't bode well for CME, who've been having financial trouble for a long while now. Dan is merely the most recent departure, although he seems to have weathered the storm longer than most.What does this mean for Stargate Worlds? Well considering all the financial issues and employee departures, it sadly points to a game that's less and less likely to ever see launch day. Frankly, it'd probably take a funding miracle to finish the project and in this currently downtrodden economy most investors probably won't be taking much risk.Moreover, what do we make of this MMO industry vacuum that is Gazillion Entertainment? They also picked up Jumpgate Evolution developer NetDevil last year while in stealth mode, and something tells us they're not done absorbing talent just yet. So much is known about the company and yet much more remains a mystery. Maybe they've got enough money to release Stargate Worlds, although they may not have the mind. Whatever ends up happening, we're sorry to see anything like this ever happen to an MMO, pre or post launch.
