World of Darkness
Setting: Horror | Developer / Publisher: CCP Games | Platform: PC | Cancelled: 2014
The World of Darkness is a tabletop universe originally created by Mark Rein-Hagen for the publisher White Wolf. This universe includes, among other things, Vampire: The Masquerade, which some connoisseurs of role-playing games may know. With Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, there was recently a successor.
This exciting universe was supposed to receive its own sandbox MMORPG a few years ago. By whom? From CCP Games, the creators of EVE Online. It is therefore not surprising that the focus was clearly supposed to lie on social interaction.
As a vampire, you would join a clan, rise through the ranks of your faction, and ultimately rule an entire city as a prince. Included: bloody intrigues and secret betrayal. So at least the dark plan.
The problem: Progress was slow. Developers were repeatedly pulled from the project to help with EVE Online. There were layoffs as well. Features that had already been approved were reportedly regularly cut. Five years after the start of development, they were still in pre-production. In 2014, they therefore ceased work.
In October 2015, the people responsible at CCP Games even drew an irreversible conclusion and sold the license to Paradox Interactive. The contracts associated with the shutdown and termination packages created a major financial hole: CCP closes US studio, has revenue losses
