Polygon - Titan's fall: Blizzard's next-gen MMO, from troubled development to cancellationhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/42931/favicon.ico2014-09-23T18:00:03-04:00http://www.polygon.com/rss/stream/65986542014-09-23T18:00:03-04:002014-09-23T18:00:03-04:00Analyst says Titan cancellation is 'a problem' for Blizzard's future
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<p>Blizzard spent seven years trying to create a follow-up to its massive hit <i>World of Warcraft</i>, an effort that officially came to an end today, with the revelation that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6833953/blizzard-cancels-titan-next-gen-mmo-pc">the project has been cancelled</a>.</p>
<p>For analyst Michael Pachter — a regular commentator on the troubles and triumphs of big games companies and a confidante of many execs — the news is "a problem." Pachter is video game, social media, digital media and electronics analyst with Wedbush Securities.</p>
<p>"It is a blow, for sure," he told Polygon. "They need to stem <i>WoW</i> declines, and I am surprised that it took so long to make a decision."</p>
<p>Earlier today, Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime explained why <a target="_blank" href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6834203/blizzard-titan-cancelled-hearthstone-heroes-of-the-storm"><i>Titan</i> was cancelled</a>. "We had created <a href="/franchise/world-of-warcraft/2734" class="sbn-auto-link"><i>World of Warcraft</i></a>, and we felt really...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6835395/titan-cancellation-blizzard-futureColin Campbell2014-09-23T13:54:17-04:002014-09-23T13:54:17-04:00Canceling Titan was the ultimate proof of Blizzard's strength, not a weakness
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<p>Blizzard has canceled one of the largest, most ambitious games it ever tried to create. At least, it might have been. No one knew that much about it. <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6833953/blizzard-cancels-titan-next-gen-mmo-pc">And now it's dead.</a></p>
<p>The quotes from the company about the decision are hard to read. The work and the budget that went into <i>Titan</i> have now been sunk, although it's likely some of the ideas and technology behind the game will aid Blizzard in some way. It's rare that these things are a total loss, although this means that there are likely people who have put the better part of a decade into a game that will never see the light of day.</p>
<p>But this move signals a new direction for the company, and the industry is bound to pay attention.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't say no to ever doing an MMO again," Blizzard...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6834203/blizzard-titan-cancelled-hearthstone-heroes-of-the-stormBen Kuchera2014-09-23T13:40:02-04:002014-09-23T13:40:02-04:00A brief history of Blizzard's canceled and unreleased games
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<p>From a certain point of view, Blizzard Entertainment looks like a developer with track record of producing a near-uninterrupted string of wildly successful games.
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<p>Founded in 1991 as Silicon & Synapse, the developer is best known for franchises like StarCraft and Warcraft that span decades. But to observe the studio by looking at its released games falls prey to the classic iceberg metaphor: You only see what's above the surface. And that which lurks below is also part of the company's success.</p>
<p>Today, Blizzard told Polygon that its long-in-development massively multiplayer online role-playing game <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6833953/blizzard-cancels-titan-next-gen-mmo-pc"><em>Titan</em> is no more</a>, but this isn't the first time the developer has decided that a game is no longer worth pursuing. In fact, Blizzard has a...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6833039/blizzard-canceled-unreleased-gamesDave Tach2014-09-23T13:20:03-04:002014-09-23T13:20:03-04:00Everything we knew about Blizzard's canceled MMO, Titan
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<p>And it's not very much.</p>
<p>Blizzard just canceled <em>Titan</em>, the company's mysterious never-quite-fully-announced massively multiplayer online role-playing game.</p>
<p>The game's seven-year development cycle, kept secretive for the most part, was filled with teases and overturns, reboots and long periods of silence. And as of today, it looks like that silence <a target="_blank" href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6833953/blizzard-cancels-titan-next-gen-mmo-pc">may be permanent</a>. The last we heard of the MMO, the team was whittled down to 30 people who were redesigning the entire project from scratch. But how did it get here?</p>
<h3>The rise...</h3>
<p>In 2007, Blizzard <a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/2007/04/27/blizzard-planning-a-new-mmo-but-which-one/" target="_blank">posted job listings</a> looking for character and environment artists to work on a secret new "Next-Gen MMO." Speculation about the title on the Blizzard forums led to a company representative noting...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6827535/blizzard-history-of-titan-mmoAlexa Ray Corriea2014-09-23T13:00:02-04:002014-09-23T13:00:02-04:00Blizzard cancels its next-gen MMO Titan after seven years
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<p>Blizzard has officially canceled development on its mysterious next-generation massively multiplayer game <em>Titan</em>. The company confirmed the news to Polygon in a recent interview.</p>
<p><span>This revelation comes after at least seven years in development and </span><a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/28/4374230/blizzard-titan-next-gen-mmo">word last year</a><span> that the developer was going back to the drawing board to reevaluate the project.</span></p>
<p>Speaking to Polygon, Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime reiterated that the company has technically never officially announced Titan, though it hasn't been shy to talk about the game over the past seven years. "We had created <a href="/game/world-of-warcraft/2735" class="sbn-auto-link"><i>World of Warcraft</i></a>, and we felt really confident that we knew how to make MMOs," Morhaime said. "So we set out to make the most ambitious thing that you could possibly...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6833953/blizzard-cancels-titan-next-gen-mmo-pcPhilip Kollar2013-11-09T17:37:00-05:002013-11-09T17:37:00-05:00Blizzard president Mike Morhaime on razing Diablo 3's auction house, rebuilding Titan
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<p>Next year, Blizzard Entertainment will <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/9/17/4741452/blizzard-removing-gold-and-real-money-auction-houses-from-diablo-3">terminate</a> one of its most controversial services, <i><a href="/game/diablo-3/2579" class="sbn-auto-link">Diablo 3</a></i>'s gold and real-money auction houses. The auction house let players safely and easily buy and sell in-game items, but Blizzard believes the feature "ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot."</p>
<p>Blizzard co-founder and president Mike Morhaime said the decision to end <i>Diablo 3</i>'s auction house came about as result of a number of factors.</p>
<p>"It was a very complex feature that required a lot of planning, a lot of resources, but ultimately I don't think it helped the game," Morhaime told Polygon in an interview at BlizzCon. "I think our players recognized that. We were really looking to see what would happen with...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/9/5085172/blizzard-mike-morhaime-diablo-3-auction-house-titan-rebootMichael McWhertor2013-08-01T17:06:11-04:002013-08-01T17:06:11-04:00Blizzard's new vision for Titan: 'unlikely' a subscription-based MMO
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<p>Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Morhaime offered a brief update on the company's in-development next-generation MMO, codenamed <i>Titan</i>, during an investor call today, saying that the unannounced game is "unlikely to be a subscription-based" game like <i>World of Warcraft</i>.</p>
<p>"We're in the process of selecting a new direction for the project and re-envisioning what we want the game to be," Morhaime said. "While we can't talk about the details yet, it is unlikely to be a subscription-based MMORPG."</p>
<p>"I also want to reiterate that there has not been an official announced or projected release date."</p>
<p>Morhaime said the "commitment to quality that has always been at the core of Blizzard values" is intact in <i>Titan</i>. "We've gone through this type...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/8/1/4580084/blizzard-working-on-new-direction-for-titan-project-unlikely-to-beMichael McWhertor2013-05-28T21:15:04-04:002013-05-28T21:15:04-04:00Blizzard resets development of Titan, its next-generation MMO (update)
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<p>Blizzard Entertainment is going back to the drawing board for its next-generation massively multiplayer online game, codenamed Titan, according to a report from <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/28/blizzard-delays-unannounced-mmo-until-2016-resets-whole-project-exclusive/">VentureBeat</a> that says development on the game has been "reset."</p>
<p>According to the report, Blizzard has whittled down the 100-person <i>Titan</i> development team to just 30 staffers, reassigning the rest to other projects. VentureBeat says that the "core team" has hit the reset button on the next-gen MMO, which is now expected no earlier than 2016.</p>
<p>A dramatic reassessment of an in-development game is certainly not out of character for Blizzard. It has massively overhauled games like the original <i>StarCraft</i> and <i>Diablo 3</i>, games that were once vastly different from their final products. It...</p>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/5/28/4374230/blizzard-titan-next-gen-mmoMichael McWhertor