Blizzard’s MMORPG Project Titan
In some cases, it can definitely be worthwhile to announce a new game early (i.e., many years before the final release). For example, when you’re looking for experienced developers to strengthen your team or seeking additional investors. Media coverage serves here as a useful lever to generate attention for the project.
However, an announcement too early can also backfire, especially if you are a notable developer like Blizzard and countless fans are waiting for the studio’s next milestone.
This was vividly seen with Project Titan, i.e., the MMORPG after WoW, that the Californians had been working on since about 2007. The first rumors about the game emerged in the same year. In 2008, the official confirmation came from the top: Yes, we are working on a new MMO. At this early stage, the project probably hadn’t even survived the pre-production phase.
Did the developers back then have any idea what was coming their way in the following years? Titan was a constant topic until the official cancellation in September 2014, fueled again and again by leaks and official statements.
Later, lead developer Jeff Kaplan looked back critically on that time, because the pressure on the team was immense. And due to the hype that had built up over the years, the whole world witnessed the failure of the successful studio.
A similar experience likely also occurred with one of the teams at Amazon Games. There, an ambitious new MMORPG based on The Lord of the Rings was supposed to be developed. Here too, an announcement came when there wasn’t even a finished concept for the game. Recently, they have discreetly erased the last traces. No new MMORPG based on The Lord of the Rings: Amazon removes the last hint about the project
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