Bad news for fans of vampires and single-server massively multiplayer games: EVE Online developer CCP Games has halted work on World of Darkness. The planned MMORPG, first revealed in 2006, was meant to build on the universe established in White Wolf Publishing’s pen-and-paper RPG, Vampire: The Masquerade. It’s surfaced a handful of times since then in early looks, but CCP’s remained mostly quiet in the years since the initial reveal.
There’s no word on exactly why the project was canceled, but it sounds like it just wasn’t coming together. Here’s what CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson had to say in a prepared statement:
The decision to end the World of Darkness MMO project is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make. I have always loved and valued the idea of a sandbox experience set in that universe, and over the years I’ve watched the team passionately strive to make that possible.
I would like to give special thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the World of Darkness MMO a reality, especially the team members affected by this decision. Their considerable contribution to CCP will not be forgotten, and we wish them well.
To our current and former employees and fans of World of Darkness, 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.
Although this was a tough decision that affects our friends and family, uniting the company behind the EVE Universe will put us in a stronger position moving forward, and we are more committed than ever to solidify EVE as the biggest gaming universe in the world.
The project’s cancellation means that 56 employees at CCP’s Atlanta studio are out of work. Some team members were simply shifted to different projects within the company – work continues on EVE Online, Dust 514, and EVE: Valkyrie – and the rest received severance packages and job placement assistance, according to the press release. Without World of Darkness in the mix, this marks the first time since 2006 that CCP is working entirely on content set within the EVE universe.
