First screens of 38 Studios' Project Copernicus leak

What is likely a staff member of Curt Shilling's embattled 38 Studios appears to have leaked the first ever screenshots of 'Project Copernicus', the studio's MMO project.

Posted onto Amalur fansite 38Watch (via NeoGAF) by a new user by the name of AlynShir - named after a character from Reckoning - the screens depict three of the game's races for the first time and names them as the Almain, Dverga and Jottun. The screens follow an officially released world fly-through.

The post tries to drum up positive energy for the studio, who are in an incredibly rough spot, reading "38 isn't dead yet. Amalur is worth fighting for. Spread the fire."

A recent report by Joystiq claims that staff at the studio remain unpaid in the face of the studio attempting to pay a $1 million loan repayment owed to the Federal Government. Drastic measures including laying off staff and stalling payroll had to be taken in order to remain afloat.

The studio has now paid the debt but faces another instalment later in the year which they'll need to acquire funds to cover. Copernicus is scheduled for June 2013 should the studio survive.