Mythic Pulls the Plug on Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes

[Andy Chalk]

Mythic Pulls the Plug on Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes

Mythic Entertainment says a "paradigm shift" at the studio means the free-to-play battle arena game is no longer viable.

Although it's been in open beta since April 2012, Mythic Entertainment announced today that Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes, an online battle arena spinoff of the Warhammer Online MMO, will not be launched.

"Mythic as a studio is undergoing a paradigm shift as we shift our focus to mobile. As part of this pivot, we had to make a few changes and reallocate resources to support this new direction," the shutdown FAQ [http://wrathofheroes.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/topics/28735-online-service-shutdown] states. "As such, we took a long look at Wrath of Heroes and despite its strong IP, gameplay, and community support, we decided not to continue the service past its Beta and instead concentrate those resources on our new endeavors."

"The free-to-play battle arena version of Warhammer Online was a grand experiment. We were able to test new server technology, learn more about the free-to-play market, and engage in endless quick, down and dirty, three-way battles any time of day or night. On all of these fronts, we were able to make great inroads and insights and deliver a fast and frenetic game," Producer James Casey wrote in a farewell message. "As a producer for this game from the start, I am proud of the hard work and effort that made the game possible and I feel sad that it is not able to carry on."

Several sites, including ShackNews [http://www.shacknews.com/article/78021/warhammer-online-wrath-of-heroes-shutting-down], reported that the shutdown FAQ stated very bluntly that Wrath of Heroes "could not meet its financial goals to be sustained," but that line appears to have been excised from the document. Mythic also stated that while it will be releasing as many "work in progress" heroes as it can in order to help players burn through whatever Gems they may hold, refunds for leftover Gems will not be offered.

Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes will close down for good on March 29.

Source: <a href="http://wrathofheroes.warhammeronline.com/
">Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes


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[Vedrenne]

Damn you EA and Bioware Mythic, i'll have your badges for this! Tis a shame that the curse of Warhammer has claimed another game for its tally, WoH will be missed...by the 100k players who got somewhat bored of it relatively quickly.

 

[Worgen]

Mythic also stated that while it will be releasing as many "work in progress" heroes as it can in order to help players burn through whatever Gems they may hold, refunds for leftover Gems will not be offered.

This quote right here is what worries me about micro-transaction based games. If you actually pay real money for something in them then it will only last as long as the game does.

 

[MorganL4]

Just to clarify......... Is this the whole WHO that is shutting down, or just the offshoot beta thing?

 

[Vedrenne]

Just to clarify......... Is this the whole WHO that is shutting down, or just the offshoot beta thing?

Just the off-shoot, hence why those who took part in the off shoot are being given free WHO game time and such.

 

[Mordekaien]

Just to clarify......... Is this the whole WHO that is shutting down, or just the offshoot beta thing?

I suppose only the Wrath of Heroes will be shutting down, I think they still manage somehow to keep the WAR up and running. How it's beyond me, since that game is really low on playerbase, last I checked.

OT, not surprised. Really.
The most boring thing about mmo (toolbar combat) is not something that transforms very well in a standalone game, I think.

 

[Samwise137]

Well, that's sad. I'd all but forgotten that game. First one I was able to get into during closed beta in a long time.

 

[Absolutionis]

So people actually paid real money for microtransactions in a game's BETA that may or may not have been coming out?
And they voluntarily did this knowing EA was involved in the product?

No sympathy.

 

[Aetrion]

Mythic: "Oh crap, we have two WoW clones that nobody wanted because they didn't innovate on the things that people hate about WoW, and we can't think of anything to fix them... Let's rush into another market that's rapidly imploding!!"

Seriously, making mobile games is completely idiotic. The App Store is total poison because people expect to pay 5-7 bucks for a top notch game there. You simply can't develop anything with particularly high quality or production value for it because you'll never make your money back. It's a goldmine for a small team that manages to produce a game that becomes wildly popular on a shoestring budget, but if you put any actual cash behind a mobile game, good luck seeing a return on it.

 

[Abomination]

So people actually paid real money for microtransactions in a game's BETA that may or may not have been coming out?
And they voluntarily did this knowing EA was involved in the product?

No sympathy.

I actually despise those people because they are simply ENCOURAGING this type of behaviour from publishers.

"People are paying us real money for fake things on a game that isn't even released and we are under no obligation to keep running."

It almost seems criminal, I wonder if the TOS could protect them against a claim of theft?