World Of Darkness cancelled by CCP Games

World of Darkness, the MMO that was in development for what appeared to be an eternity, has been cancelled by CCP Games.

The decision resulted in the loss of 56 jobs at the publisher's Atlanta studio.

The following is CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson's statement on the matter:

"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 publisher said that it has relocated some of the affected staff members to other projects, while offering severance packages and job placement assistance for the others.

The last time we heard of the MMO was back in December, CCP had announced cutting 15 jobs from the MMO's development staff then, and had offered no update on the state of the MMO beyond reiterating comments about making the game a "compelling, rich, and deep World of Darkness experience."

World of Darkness was announced in November 2006 by CCP Games, developers of EVE Online. The game was supposed to be a "a contemporary vampire simulator" and was rumoured to launch in 2010. The development of the game suffered numerous setbacks, including a 20% staff reduction that mostly affected its Atlanta studio.

You can have a look at some leaked footage dating back to 2010.

Thanks, GI International.