Gameforge Cancels Star Trek: Infinite Space MMO

[Karloff]

Gameforge Cancels Star Trek: Infinite Space MMO


The developer just couldn't find a publisher for this free-to-play Star Trek MMO.

Gameforge did the best it could to bring its Deep Space Nine-inspired free-to-play MMO to market. They even brought Michael and Denise Okuda on board, two designers heavily involved with the Star Trek franchise, and released some pretty cool game footage [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/trailers/3506-Star-Trek-Infinite-Space-Battle-Scenes] back in 2011. The trouble was that despite all its efforts it was unable to find a publisher, and Gameforge has now reluctantly announced that the project is cancelled.

"We have decided with a heavy heart to finally abandon the project," said Gameforge in an official statement. "The discontinuation is very regrettable. Unfortunately it happens from time to time that a good concept for a game cannot be implemented as originally planned." Doubts about the future of the project were first raised in November 2011, when the developer had to let 100 employees go. At the time, Gameforge warned that without a publisher the project would flounder. Now that warning has come true.

Gameforge is a German developer with significant experience in the MMO market, known for The Saga of Ryzom and AION among other titles. It's an award-winning developer; its trailer for Star Trek: Infinite Space won an International Business Award in 2011. Sadly that doesn't seem to have been enough to tempt a publisher into partnership.

Source: Eurogamer [http://corporate.gameforge.com/en/]


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[Tiamat666]

That sounds like an alibi to cover up the real reason behind the cancellation. Since when do you need a publisher in 2012? Why not release the game as internet download or on Steam?

 

[Vivi22]

That sounds like an alibi to cover up the real reason behind the cancellation. Since when do you need a publisher in 2012? Why not release the game as internet download or on Steam?

Games still cost a lot of money to make. MMO's more so. Usually it's publishers who put up the money to get a game finished before you ever see a dime in revenue. It is very rare that a company has the money to make a game without a publisher, or at the very least, some angel investors who will give you the money in exchange for half your company, all of the IP rights, and your left arm.

 

[MorganL4]

Well, im surprised the project got started in the first place, I mean we already have a free to play Star Trek MMO.... Do we really need two?

 

[The_Darkness]

Well, im surprised the project got started in the first place, I mean we already have a free to play Star Trek MMO.... Do we really need two?

Heh. My first thought when seeing this was "Wait, Star Trek Online has been cancelled? I thought that was still going strong!" Then I read the title again...

Still, it's sad to see a project fail, but I can't really say I'm surprised. I am surprised that they didn't even try Kickstarter though...

 

[cerebus23]

i wonder what then angle on this game was, after all we already have a f2p ST mmo with space battles, unless it was more a sim type game or a bridge commander type dunno why we would need it at all.

heck why not just make a new bridge commander? or you know a good star trek game period. why jump onto the mmo thing.

 

[TechTim]

agree that a 2nd star trek mmo on the market wouldn't be good for ether's franchise

 

[Ukomba]

I hope this is a sign that the mmo explosion is ending.

 

[Jaden Kazega]

Looks like it might've been a good game, all-CGI trailer or not. I'm pretty sure these guys wouldn't have allowed a game to launch with a game-breaking bug like, oh, I dunno, the bug that makes your hotkeys stop working randomly....

 

[Tiamat666]

That sounds like an alibi to cover up the real reason behind the cancellation. Since when do you need a publisher in 2012? Why not release the game as internet download or on Steam?

Games still cost a lot of money to make. MMO's more so. Usually it's publishers who put up the money to get a game finished before you ever see a dime in revenue. It is very rare that a company has the money to make a game without a publisher, or at the very least, some angel investors who will give you the money in exchange for half your company, all of the IP rights, and your left arm.

And how does the success of high profile indy games fit into that logic? I don't remember them swimming in cash or selling out to publishers when releasing their games. True, to release an MMO for the masses you will need some servers and support, but I believe that that should be well within reach of Gameforge.

 

[Vivi22]

And how does the success of high profile indy games fit into that logic? I don't remember them swimming in cash or selling out to publishers when releasing their games. True, to release an MMO for the masses you will need some servers and support, but I believe that that should be well within reach of Gameforge.

Most indies don't make games at the AAA level, and like I said, there's always angel investors which many indies rely on in the startup phase assuming their idea is too large to be self funded. Regardless, you don't see many indies making MMO's. Not even browser based ones as I guess this was going to be. Fact is, even those are expensive in their development and hosting costs, to say nothing of the licensing fees for something like Star Trek which I imagine are reasonably pricey. And to say that funding and releasing this game should be well within reach for Gameforge is silly when it clearly wasn't. Maybe they could have done it on their own for all we know. And maybe doing so would have bankrupted them if it flopped. Maybe the financial risk was just too high for them to continue.

Either way they, the people with first hand insider knowledge about their financial situation and their development capabilities, obviously felt they couldn't do it without publisher support. So excuse me if I don't feel your opinion that anyone can do anything these days and no one needs a publisher ever doesn't carry much weight in the real world.

Yeah, there are a lot of times, particularly with smaller games, or with more successful developers, where they don't need a publisher to make and release things these days. This is absolutely true and a very good thing for the industry. Doesn't mean that publishers are completely irrelevant though. Some companies need to be able to pay their employees before they release their next game.

 

[Antari]

The majority of publishers are a drag on the industry in my opinion. Every decision they make completely defies logic and reason. I'll consider buying a game in about 10-20 years if they can get their act together. Until then I'll be enjoying the products of other industries that actually function properly.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

Ohhhh noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
*ahem*
Not bothered about this, hell, I didn't even know it was in development.

MMO's are not the way to go in my opinion.