Tobold's Blog
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
 
Star Trek Online cancelled

Warcry reports that Star Trek Online has been cancelled. Well, not officially cancelled, but the company that used to be called Perpetual and used to have the license to make Star Trek Online had to give back the license. Some other company could now restart developing the game, but they won't get any existing code from Perpetual.

Scott Jennings calls it an impossible license. But apparently the reasons for Perpetual giving up the license are less about design possibilities, and more about financial possibilities. Perpetual already cancelled Gods & Heroes which was already in the beta and had pre-order boxes shipped to retailers. And they did some clever legal and financial engineering, including creating a new company, P2 Entertainment, and transferring all their assets including the Star Trek Online license to that new entity. People who were owed money by the old Perpetual sued them over that move. Investors had to write off their investments, as the old Perpetual went bankrupt.

For us players all that just means that we won't see a Star Trek Online game before 2015, if ever.

[Edit: Rumors have it that the new STO developer will be Cryptic Studios.]
Comments:
LOL

It appears that one of my five mmorpg predictions for 2008 has already come true.

http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-i-become-boss-of-blizzard.html

One down and four to go.
 
I'm not surprised. Star Trek just doesn't seem have the 'buzz' anymore that it used to. I used to know lots of hardcore Trekkies but most of them are now into newer, non-Star Trek shows, like Stargate and such.

As well, licensed MMO's haven't had much success to date (except for maybe Final Fantasy, if you call that a license).
 
Perpetual bit off more than they could chew. They should have canceled Gods and Heroes the split second that they acquired the rights to Star Trek.


The license, as well as the game's content - but not the code - have been transferred to another Bay Area development studio where work will continue. It is not entirely clear at this time what this means for the individual developers who worked on the project at P2.


Sounds like a reboot.

Duke Nukem anyone?
 
Star Trek has always been a mess for any outside company to work with. Mrs Roddenberry is like her husband very hands on and controlling when it comes to thier franchise.

For that reason I doubt you'll ever see a really successful Star Trek MMO.
 
@Zigabob

Well, guess there is LOTRO...but, that license has itself wrapped around the most boring MMO I have played yet...
And the verdict is still out on HOW successful it is (but it sure did get a lot of awards this past 2007)..
Guess I will continue to watch it and see how it does..

As to PE. Having played in Closed Beta of Gods and Heroes and saw how bad it ran, and how lifeless it felt...I saw fail all over that game...and then when they announced the lay offs...I called "The End"...
Well...anyways...good riddance!

I have higher hopes for Stargate, as at least it is a more fantastical world...and every indicator points to some type of Fantasy base for an MMO to succeed...period. And Stargate has an awesome Sci-Fi / Fantasy feel..

Later
 

Well, guess there is LOTRO...but, that license has itself wrapped around the most boring MMO I have played yet...


I think Turbine did the best they could given the limitations of the IP.
 
Lotro is pretty awsome... it is very different and damn relaxing to play. But that is me.

It encourages a maturer player if you will and large market who love the works of tolkien.

Star Trek is very different. A great TV series, but not timeless.

It misses one thing that will give any MMO a level of success. The Classisc Fantasy Genre.

Surely the Dev work isn't a complete loss? Could they not reskin the work, use the engine and publish something far different?
 
This news generated less than ten post. I'm surprised that such a huge property would command so little interest.

I think mmorpg players are in a state of cynical funk and have been burned too many times to even get excited anymore.

This genre is in desperate need for a new hit.
 
Well, guess there is LOTRO...but, that license has itself wrapped around the most boring MMO I have played yet...


I think Turbine did the best they could given the limitations of the IP.



Thust he problems you have taking an existing franchise and turning it into a game. The people who own the intellectual property want to control to some extent what you can and can't do.

LOTR died for me the moment I realized I'd never ever be able to be anything more than some character in the backstory. It is a decent game but it's biggest failing is that you can't screw with the existing story.

WOW had no baggage from any other company and Blizzard was able to do thier own thing. It's such a shame that they are cannibalizing the old game and letting it rot. I think the company that puts out something as accessable, fun and polished as wow and succesfully comes up with a model that allows dynamic content could realistically have a huge cash cow for 10 or more years.

But yeah I think 2007 was a huge letdown. I think the whole game industry is flailing around trying to deal with the expectations WOW set for gamers and shareholders alike.
 
On MMORPGs, LotRO, and player characters:

sam said: "LOTR died for me the moment I realized I'd never ever be able to be anything more than some character in the backstory."

There is not an MMORPG in existence where your character can become an integral part of the story. For that to happen, it would require a virtual reality so dynamic that the mere concept of how MMORPGs are played and created today would feel like cave drawings from prehistoric times.
 
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