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Warhammer 40K MMO cut down to singleplayer

THQ has today announced an update for the eagerly anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium - but it's probably not the news you wanted. The adaptation of the classic table top game has been hacked and slashed itself - rather than the MMO many of us were holding our breaths for, Dark Millennium is being "refocused" as an "immersive single player" experience. The game will feature online multiplayer, "engaging community features" and robust digital content - but essentially, the core of the game has been gutted.

Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium

...and that's not all: as part of this "refocusing" effort, THQ has slashed 118 jobs across studios in both the U.S. and Canada - Vigil, who will continue working on the game alongside Darksiders II, was cut by 79 full-time employees, while the Vancouver studios of Relic Entertainment has been cut by 39. Relic is no longer working on the project, instead concentrating on other THQ franchises - including Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes.

Brian Farrell, President and CEO of THQ Inc. explains:

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.

Farrell also reminds us that the company has been "actively looking" for a business partner for the game for some time - but hasn't managed to find one who can provide the additional investment required to make the game an MMO.

Back in January, we were told the game's development had been cancelled entirely as THQ axed its 2014 calendar and prepared for sale. Since then, the publisher has denied rumours, but things still don't look good for THQ - and they look even worse for staff at both Relic and Vigil.

This story was featured in Season 1, Episode 7 of Player Attack:

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3 Responses to “Warhammer 40K MMO cut down to singleplayer”

Player Attack: Season 1, Episode 7 « Player Attack says:

March 30, 2012 at 8:00 pm

[...] week on Player Attack, a long-overdue update for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium sees gamers disappointed around the world, and it doesn't look good for Prey 2, either. Silent Hill [...]

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Zipper finished: Sony announces studio closure « Player Attack says:

April 1, 2012 at 10:22 pm

[...] news sees roughly 80 game devs out of work, in a week where THQ also reduced its workforce by more than 100 across two studios. Why not check out our latest vidcast!Player Attack: Season 1, Episode 7 or [...]

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THQ dumps CFO, enters into financial negotiations « Player Attack says:

November 20, 2012 at 5:10 pm

[...] slashing of over 100 jobs across North America in March [...]

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