40K MMO cancelled

[HsojVvad]

Saw this on DakkaDakka.

http://kotaku.com/5876253/thq-wipes-out-games-planned-for-2014-to-ready-itself-for-sale-says-insider

Looks like the 40K MMO might be cancelled now.

[eldargal]

From an update to that story:


"THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO.

From here (http://kotaku.com/5876348/thq-says-it-has-not-cancelled-its-2014-lineup).

[JxKxR]

Sounds like they could be taking a break from the MMO for a while. Let's just hope it doesn't get back shelved for years like the Duke Nukem game.

[Dalleron]

I can see this game getting tossed. Warhammer Online had it's +/-'s put it wasn't that good in my books. I see a 40K MMO being even harder to make. Moreso when you factor in Space Marines. In my eyes, it would be very hard to balance that game.

[eldargal]

I disagree, partly, I think WAR suffered because there are heaps of fantasy MMOs, one of them being the king of them all at present. Scifi MMOs are much less oversaturated, SW:TOR notwithstanding. Scifi MMOs do have their challenges, though, namely how to balance ranged at melee combat.

[MarneusCalgar]

Well, now all the MMO´s seem to be on a going down line since WoW (and even it): Age of Conan, WAR, are examples of this...

TOR has been very in demand, so hope it changes the situation when Dark Millenium comes

[Dalleron]

MMO's may be past their prime, it would be hard to argue to argue otherwise. But if you believe Blizz, 10 million people still play WoW. And SW:TOR seems to be doing good. I'm loving it, but that may be because of the source material.

But if you do a game right, people will play it. WoW has done well. People still play Runescape as I understand things.

I found WAR unpolished, and I wanted to love that game, but it let me down.

[eldargal]

WAR completely failed at immersion, for me at least. Even WoW did a better job of making me feel part of the game world, and SW:TOR does it better than any other mmo I've played. I never once felt part of the Warhammer world and I so wanted to. Even the environments as lovely as they were always felt like a theme park rather than actual places.

[Crackgnome]

Considering THQ's stock price plummet of nearly 90% in the last year, the best we can hope for is that they sell the company to someone else who picks the game up and does something different with it.

[TheDirtyHippy]

As a video game analyst, I have to say that THQ is probably not going to be around much longer.
Their management team doesn't know what they're doing.

They pumped all this money into licensing kids properties (Nickelodeon, Disney/Pixar, etc) then closed down the entire Kids & Family division. I'll tell you one thing about the game industry. Those cheap video games based off of the current cartoon might not make much money, but they make consistent money. You'd have to be a total moron to not keep Kids & Family profitable. The average game in that segment sells about 50 to 75 thousand units. If you know reliably how much profit you're going to take in before you even start working on the game, then you should know how to budget development costs. The marketing for these games is almost non-existent, as the movie/show is your advertising.

I know that 40k: DMO was a huge money sink for THQ. They spent a lot on an exclusive license for the 40k universe. THQ expected Space Marine to do far better than it did. Now, for the quality of the game, target audience, and the amount of marketing they spent, predicting how well that game would sell based on past performance of other games with similar qualities is pretty straightforward. Either they did no research, or they were betting on a miracle.

Here's a wonderful letter to the THQ board of directors that showed up on Kotatu:
http://kotaku.com/5879436/dont-blame-udraw-blame-yourselves-rankled-staff-tells-thq-executives

[Bigred]

Yeah, that doesn't sound too good.

I've been employed at various levels by high-tech companies who were on their last legs. These types of insider tell-all letters and official non-denial denials have a very familiar ring to them.

When you aren't denying moving away from all your licenced product lines, and are doing rounds of internal deep cuts and shuttering whole divisions, its not a good sign at all.

If I were GW, I wouldn't get used to those THQ royalty checks for too much longer.

[eldargal]

Do you have any sources for that? Not that I'm disagreeing with you on THQ failing, its just I heard Space Marine was more successful than they expected, not less.

usive license for the 40k universe. THQ expected Space Marine to do far better than it did.

[flekkzo]

Yeah, that doesn't sound too good.

I've been employed at various levels by high-tech companies who were on their last legs. These types of insider tell-all letters and official non-denial denials have a very familiar ring to them.

When you aren't denying moving away from all your licenced product lines, and are doing rounds of internal deep cuts and shuttering whole divisions, its not a good sign at all.

If I were GW, I wouldn't get used to those THQ royalty checks for too much longer.

Like RIM these days. Unable to accept that things aren't going well anymore.

As awesome as 40k is, I have a hard time believing that the MMO would have been a success. Let's face it the list is really short when it comes to successful ones. A Knights of the old republic type game would have been better.

Having less royalty check coming in might open up for other license endeavors. A proper Hollywood 40k movie. Let me dream:)

[Bigred]

I heard that Space Marine had solid sales, but nothing spectacular. It had the misfortune of coming out very close to MW3, and Skyrim, not to mention the Star Wars MMO, which have sucked the oxygen out of almost everything else.

THQ also spent over 50+ million on it...

[Wildeybeast]

I heard that Space Marine had solid sales, but nothing spectacular. It had the misfortune of coming out very close to MW3, and Skyrim, not to mention the Star Wars MMO, which have sucked the oxygen out of almost everything else.

THQ also spent over 50+ million on it...

Actually it did much better than expected because they got it out in a quiet period before those games were released. It was out in Sept, it's closest competitor (release date wise) was Gears 3 and that wasn't until Oct. MW3 and Skyrim weren't until mid Nov and Star Wars was late December. These games were far enough away to have had little impact on sales and Star Wars certainly wouldn't because it is a completely different type of game. To be fair though, THQ did a really bad job of promoting it as they thought it would do sod all, which is odd considering they produced a well made shooter which is very true to its IP source. The DLC releases demonstrate it's popularity and the numbers playing online are pretty stable, which is good considering the competition it has from other shooters. As I understand it, THQ is not going under as such, but scaling back on to focus on games they know can turn them out a quick profit.

[DrLove42]

And a different opinion;

I heard that Space Marine was a far bigger success than they anticipated.

At the same time, selling your casual gamer "sector" off might not make you much money, but it is seen as a big tick in the eyes of those who are real gamers, who have long seen the need for "casual" games as the cancer thats destroying the industry (along with 3d games and motion control).

THQ's biggest loss of last year was Red Faction. Although not a bad game, it never lived up to its potential and failed to reach the targets expected. Saints Row on the other hand has been wildly succesful.

They're not out yet, but its getting close to a worrying cliff edge

[DrLove42]

News - THQ just laid off 170 people, roughly 10% of their workforce

Make of that what you will

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/thq-layoffs-included-170-report-6349547

[JxKxR]

News - THQ just laid off 170 people, roughly 10% of their workforce

Make of that what you will

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/thq-layoffs-included-170-report-6349547

This sounds like a good move for THQ, getting rid of the stupid kid games and focusing more on the franchises that actually make money. They aren't out of the woods yet but definitely a step in the right direction.

Now how I think it effects the MMO... not good. While the Warhammer franchise is one of the ones that makes them money taking such a big chance on such a massive undertaking as the 40k MMO would be unwise given their current financial situation.

[Forever_Bunny]

Now how I think it effects the MMO... not good. While the Warhammer franchise is one of the ones that makes them money taking such a big chance on such a massive undertaking as the 40k MMO would be unwise given their current financial situation.

I agree especially when the CEO and directors are all taking pay cuts of 50% for the year. That usually a sign that company might be near death. :(

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/thq-ceo-farrell-takes-50-pay-cut-board-of-directors-also-takes/

[DrLove42]

In my opinion they should pull the plug on it

I'd rather see DoW3 and Saints Row 4 than a 40kMMO.

MMO's are huge money drains and the market is dominated. Its virtually impossible to get into it. Did the Fantasy MMO ever become profitable? And do people still play it now? Im sure thats 2 no's.

A 40k MMO wouldn't work, is way too expensive and shouldn't have ever been considered. If it takes THQ down, they deserve it, but i won't be happy

[GrenAcid]

In my opinion they should pull the plug on it

I'd rather see DoW3 and Saints Row 4 than a 40kMMO.

MMO's are huge money drains and the market is dominated. Its virtually impossible to get into it. Did the Fantasy MMO ever become profitable? And do people still play it now? Im sure thats 2 no's.

A 40k MMO wouldn't work, is way too expensive and shouldn't have ever been considered. If it takes THQ down, they deserve it, but i won't be happy

It would be nice to have 40k mmo but DoW 3 sounds like fun and have no chance to take down THQ.

[SeattleDV8]

This sounds like a good move for THQ, getting rid of the stupid kid games and focusing more on the franchises that actually make money. They aren't out of the woods yet but definitely a step in the right direction.

Most of those 'stupid kid games' were licensed with Disney. And THQ used to make a lot of money from kids games, they don't now and it has hurt them badly.

[JxKxR]

Most of those 'stupid kid games' were licensed with Disney. And THQ used to make a lot of money from kids games, they don't now and it has hurt them badly.

Well Disney hasn't given them much to work with. Looking through their kids games now and it's all old intellectual properties like sponge bob, puss in boots, and barbies. What sold those horrible kids games was the fact that they would be coming out with a new movie and piggy backing on the interest the trailers for those movies created.

Another thing that helped the kid game market was parents didn't really know anything about games and which ones would be good or bad, so they would just buy whatever game their child asked for. Now a days younger 'gamers' are having kids and they know what good and bad games look like. No parent that actually knows about games would buy ANY of the THQ lineup. I've got 5 nieces and 1 nephew that love video games and as long they have their uncle around they don't have to worry about getting stuck with such abysmal games as these for the holidays. Plus there are actually good appropriate kids games that are coming out nowadays like the LEGO franchise, Wii sports games, and not to mention App games like Angry Birds. My 3, 5, and 10 year old nieces will veg out and play angry birds ALL DAY.

THQ had no business making kids games.

[Kawauso]

Well Disney hasn't given them much to work with. Looking through their kids games now and it's all old intellectual properties like sponge bob, puss in boots, and barbies. What sold those horrible kids games was the fact that they would be coming out with a new movie and piggy backing on the interest the trailers for those movies created.


Yes, but that's exactly where the value of products like these lies.

Developers rely heavily on titles like these because they are dirt cheap to make - relative to developing a 'AAA' game - and rake in a lot more money than the initial investment. This is what companies like Ubisoft do - they use their 'Imagine' and 'Petz' games to rake in cash which is then spent developing more involved franchises like Assassin's Creed.

From what I understand, THQ has been pretty badly mismanaged for a while now, and this could be the beginning of the death knell for the publisher.

[SeattleDV8]

Maybe, but it still made them a lot of money, which they did not replace with something else.
That left a huge hole in their bottom line, they had/have a serious management problems, they've spent like they are EA or Activision but they have only been a (at best) second tier video company.
We all love the Warhammer games but it really don't have the market potential they need to make back the lost profits from so many bad choices they have made over the years.
In 2007 their stock was going for 30$ now it's about .70$, Thats a huge loss.
No cash flow, no good games.

[Wildeybeast]

Actually, movie tie in games don't make as much money as you think and are just as liable to bomb as any other game. The problem is publishers view them as a cheap cash cow and as such don't invest much money in them beyond the initial license, then foist movie related deadlines on the developers and have ridiculous expectations of what the game will be. Then when the games tank, they blame the developers for making cheap peice of rubbish. The best way to handle licenses is like GW/THQ. Close supervision from the IP holder to ensure authenticity, married with publishers who actually invest time and money into their developers.

[SeattleDV8]

Well, things are looking grim, the lateset word

Because of the large financial commitment and associated risks, we are being realistic about our resources and we are actively seeking a partner for this compelling new MMO. We will keep you updated on our progress.

Sounds like they don't have the cash.

[HsojVvad]

Read somewhere quickly so don't have the details, Gamspot I think, said that THQ is looking for investors or other people to help them with the 40K MMO. Can't remember what they said but it's been updated. Can't find the link now. Sorry.

[Morgan Darkstar]

Guess my dream of Homeworld 3 is looking less likely by the day :(
Also doesn't bode well for a Space Marine sequel.
going to cry in a corner now.

[Defenestratus]

Guess my dream of Homeworld 3 is looking less likely by the day :(
Also doesn't bode well for a Space Marine sequel.
going to cry in a corner now.

From what I've been told by a friend who is super plugged into the video game world, THQ has made crappy games for a bunch of movies. These haven't done well. The recent THQ news is all part of a plan to refocus on successful titles and good games as opposed to the quick cash grab type games.

However, the 40k MMO is a huge risk. Its a lot of work with an uncertain outcome in an already crowded field of competition.

I don't blame THQ for wanting to mitigate their risks with it comes to the MMO.

[Morgan Darkstar]

Ok had some news from a mate of mine within the industry today, Dark Millennium has been Shelved indefinitely.

[JxKxR]

Yup, saw that coming.

[Hiflt4]

This is sad indeed, Been following this mmo since its first rumors. With all the money to be made with an mmo monthly fee, Its amazing something with such a stronge fan base and wide game appeal wouldent get alittle grease for the wheels.

[Tzeentch13x]

:(:( Well that sucks. I was anxiuos to get this.

[asteroidjawa]

shame, seems like it could have been neat if it was free-to-play, but i don't think it could stand up to WoW and whatever the mmo of the month is with a subscription model

[Dlatrex]

*sigh* I guess most of us felt this was coming. A shame, as there certainly was an opportunity to do MMO 'differently'.
...or at least grimdark

[Gut40k]

Wonder how close it was to completion.

[Kawauso]

Umm...I know this thread was just recently necro'd, but I've done a bunch of looking around now and I can't find anywhere that says this game was cancelled. Everything I've found seems to indicate the opposite.

Looks like it's still in the works to me (with a 2013 release), unless anyone has a source saying otherwise? :P

[eldargal]

It hasn't been officially cancelled, but it isn't looking promising. They are looking for investors or partners or something to help offset development costs.

[Kawauso]

Just means that THQ is going to get some (much needed) new management or a new label...or the company will fall apart and its various projects will be picked apart by other developers/publishers as they try to salvage money whilst going under.

I think it'd be unlikely that this project would go belly-up, regardless of whether THQ does. Not that something like that is unprecedented in the games industry...but it's something that would strike me as an appealing item to snag if I were a large publisher/developer.

[Morgan Darkstar]

But its not appealing, as much as i hate to admit it. it probably would have been a black hole of a money sink

[DanteSuper]

Awww :( I really really want this game. It's the sole reason why I'm not playing any mmo. I want to keep that energy build up so that I can use it to play this game... !

In the mean time I might play Guild Wars 2... after all it's free once you buy the game.

[Control NZ]

I've never played MMOs before but a warhammer40k one would be awesome. The trailer that came out last year was fantastic. I hope THQ doesn't go away, I do really like a lot of their games. It's a shame they've been having trouble.

[Igen]

TL/DR all the comments, but my thoughts on the topic in general.

I want this to succeed. A 40k MMO might cost allot and not have the huge subscription numbers most MMO's hope for, but I would still play it till the servers close down. I plan on buying several shares of THQ stock, if anything just to show that people are still willing to invest. It may be a sinking ship, but at least I know I tried to patch some of the holes in the boat.

[Sethimath]

I'm probably late through the comments, but from the sounds of it if THQ shelves the project for a 40k mmo it would be good for the company.

I mean to create a successful 40k MMO it would have to been in a grand scale much more intensive. To be honest for a MMO for 40k i think if it went sort of a planet side sort of route it would work reasonably well.

[Eupackardia]

I think it's still better to put the project on Hold and wait for a better sponsorship than to to you know, work it half finished with bugs and all. THe models/concepts and all are all pretty much done (thks Space Marines for that :P) So, i guess we shall just wait and see..

[gcsmith]

I dnt like the fact that the game has been put on hold. but its the wisest idea. Making a profitable mmo is hard, especially if you compete against WoW.
Heck The trailer from last year looked like it was using a 10 year old graphics engine. not the power house engine that was from space marine.

Id rather not have a 40k mmo come out than have another failure like fantasy.

[Diagnosis Ninja]

I'd much rather have a sequel to Space Marine, to be honest. Hell, even just story based DLC for the first.

As it is, I don't exactly like the majority of people who I've run into on MMO's, and I can just imagine them making the whole thing suck, rather than there being any problem with the game.

[Tepogue]

I was actually looking forward to this MMO. Would have been a nice change of pace, but I could not figgure out how they would have balanced the game.

[Elahir]

I was really looking for this one but I'd rather have nothing than THQ doing it wrong and having financial issues.

On the bright side I can spend the 2k Ive saved for a new comp on ale :D

[Arch_Bishop]

As it is, I don't exactly like the majority of people who I've run into on MMO's, and I can just imagine them making the whole thing suck, rather than there being any problem with the game.

People are what make MMO's amazing, and absolutely appalling at the same time.

Take WoW for instance. It's full of elitist jerks, high school trolls, and socially inept basement dwellers. But the majority of people are actually just nice, regular folks, and there are some amazingly helpful, kind and thoughtful individuals that make it a great experience.

In short, it seems to be a fairly accurate representation of humanity and society as a whole. We would all live in our own personal utopias, if it wasn't for a minority of people ruining it (all totally subjective btw).

You have to take the good with the bad...

[Criger]

I kind of hope the 40k MMO doesn't happen just for one reason: I don't have the time to play an MMO but I wouldn't be able to resist.

[White Tiger88]

People are what make MMO's amazing, and absolutely appalling at the same time.

Take WoW for instance. It's full of elitist jerks, high school trolls, and socially inept basement dwellers. But the majority of people are actually just nice, regular folks, and there are some amazingly helpful, kind and thoughtful individuals that make it a great experience.

In short, it seems to be a fairly accurate representation of humanity and society as a whole. We would all live in our own personal utopias, if it wasn't for a minority of people ruining it (all totally subjective btw).

You have to take the good with the bad...

Or in most cases the Insane and the crazy............I really do hope this game happens since playing as an Archon would be great.....(and epic...Hey look i got a pet wytch!)

[Whiteice]

Sad to hear this. Was looking forward to it from the early trailers but looks like it's not likely to happen. Possibly a blessing in disguise as Warhammer MMO seems to have suffered from the "WoW but different" disease and i'm not sure 40k MMO would have avoided this

[p00zer]

to have a chance at the MMO market, you have to do something truly different, like The Secret World or Pathfinder Online. i think 40K could do that, if they got some really clever designers on it. i guess we'll see.

[herigonz]

Dunno, a lot of MMO's simply copy off each other and try to use the same formula with a different coat of paint (be it story or factions and such). A few try to venture out and actually create a very new player experience. Ultimately it seems one of the worst things (getting people addicted to the point where they feel they "need" to play) is what helps make a game so successfull (i.e. WoW vs. EQ2).

[thingol]

Really a shame if it doesn't fly. I saw some of the preliminary work on this at GD 2010, looked very promising.

[eldargal]

I disagree, while doing something different may help an MMO be successful, the most successful MMO, WoW, was not at all innovative. If took the best of previous MMOs and refined it into a more user-friendly package. SW:TOR has done much the same thing for the post-WoW MMO generation and it is looking to be extremely successful, too (approaching two million subcribers after only a few months).

If you compare to, say, AoC it tried a new combat system which was very good, but it still failed to meet expectations for its success. The reasons why are complicated, but it does help illustrate that an MMO needs something more than jsut doing some things differently.

to have a chance at the MMO market, you have to do something truly different, like The Secret World or Pathfinder Online. i think 40K could do that, if they got some really clever designers on it. i guess we'll see.

[Gorfang]

THQ should just stick to what it does best. Find some story they want to follow in the Fantasy/40k world and play it out. The problem with an MMO is that you can never really advance a story. As a previous poster mentioned, if you mess up the immersion you're just riding along rails on a theme park ride.

[Kawauso]

THQ should just stick to what it does best. Find some story they want to follow in the Fantasy/40k world and play it out. The problem with an MMO is that you can never really advance a story. As a previous poster mentioned, if you mess up the immersion you're just riding along rails on a theme park ride.

I can tell you with near-certainty that the story they 'follow' is worked out in the earliest stages of a game's development and pretty much left as it is through production.

The stories in THQ's (read: Relic's) 40k games are like most game stories: competent, for a game, but that's about it. They did touch on some nice themes/nuances of the 40k universe a bit in Space Marine, but it wasn't anything to write home about.

That's my opinion, at least. On the second bit. The first bit is a well-educated guess from a long time following the games industry very closely and working directly in it for 5-6 years.

[troglodytesrus]

Would be such a waste if this game never comes to fruition, has so much potential to expand 40k and the fanbase of the whole game

[The Ghost]

I wouldn't blame them for cancelling it. All MMOs usually just wait their turn to get mauled by the ugly behemoth that is WoW.

[rebvamp13]

i dont think they have done it yet they are making a lot of money from the 40k world

[bubblehearthz]

Who do you think will get the 40k license when thq goes under? Or do you think it will just sit there and rot like Fallout did for so many years?

[Chuckachu]

I sure hope someone good picks them up....THQ was doing a pretty good job for awhile there...Last Stand had/has alot of potential.

[Xar]

clears the road for guildwars2.

[spagunk]

Man. Here I thought I would finally ride myself of my wow subscription :(

[Oelber]

I honestly doubt this game could live up to my expectations, and I kinda hope it gets cancelled so that I won't have to suffer the disappointment of another flop MMO.

[Jambo]

im gutted its been cancelled im really enjoying star wars online and was looking forward to a 40k one :(

[pappsy]

not happy about this

[Boss Zargore]

I was loving all the promise I saw for this. It looked pretty epic. Guess ill just keep playing space marine online.

[Koineboy]

Is DMO officially dead? Limbo? The Warp?

[Brother Cruorem]

I really hope it's still going to happen. I've been wanting a Sci-Fi MMO for years.

[Terence]

I think that it is a mayor prpblem which is faced now by all payable MMO - lots of guys are living them for the Leage of Legends. Otherwice we need to remember that MMO is huge development which need huge postproduction and service work. SM unfortunatelly looked like the teaser for MMO and the money gothering event for the purpose of MMO creation. If that didnt made their expectation we may never see 40K MMO

[Brother Glacius]

They just had a huge sale. Which was nice, but the store sucked. Once I got the email for my items, I went to download them but they had no links. So I couldn't actually get anything. Luckily, they displayed the codes and I activated them through steam. But if not for that, I'd be SOL. I just hope Relic survives the fall of THQ.

[Neb08]

I left mmo's for HoN not garbage LoL... but anyways this is sad news since I was hoping this game would get me back into mmo's. Instead I will let Diablo 3 take its place.