The Warhammer 40,000 MMO that was under development by THQ is no longer an MMO. It has been announced that Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium is going to be “refocused” as a single-player action game with some multiplayer elements. This change will bring substantial layoffs at developers Vigil Games and Relic Entertainment.
Gamers originally though the MMO was cancelled due to financial troubles at THQ. The publisher assured fans that the MMO was still being developed, but did not clarify as to the nature of the development. The vagueness has led many to question whether the company was financially able to maintain such a large budget for an MMO.
In a press release issued by Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ, the plans to change the game have been revealed.
“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.”
Due to the change of game style, Vigil Games will be losing 79 full-time employees and Relic Entertainment will be losing 39 full-time employees.
Despite changing from an MMO to a single-player game, THQ remains optimistic about the future of Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium.
“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.”
[Via Kotaku]