14 DAY TRIAL // Video game publisher THQ has announced that Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online is no longer an MMO and that the future of the game will be linked to a solid single-player narrative element that will be combined with a set of multiplayer modes and community features.
Brian Farell, the current president and the chief executive officer at THQ, stated, “As previously announced, we have been actively looking for a business partner for the game as an MMO.
“However, based on changing market dynamics and the additional investment required to complete the game as an MMO, we believe the right direction for us is to shift the title from an MMO to a premium experience with single and multiplayer gameplay, robust digital content and community features.”
He added, “Because we believe strongly in the high-quality and vast creative work that is in production, this is the right decision for both our portfolio and for gamers devoted to this powerful property.”
In early 2012 THQ announced that it was changing its business model and abandoning all its non-core game development efforts in order to focus on its most important franchises, among them Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online.
The news came after a rumor began circulating that the company was out of money and was canceling all development efforts previously set to be launched after 2013.
After the Warhammer 40,000 announcement, THQ has also reported that Vigil Games will be working on Dark Millennium Online as well as on Darksiders II, while Relic will be shifting its focus on the creation of a new Dawn of War title and on the Company of Heroes strategy series.
THQ has not offered any details on the narrative of the new single-player and multiplayer focused Dark Millennium Online, and it’s not yet clear which platforms the game will be launched on or when it might be released.