Chronicles of Elyria wanted to do many things differently. Your character should age and be able to die. You should take care of descendants. Now, however, death has caught up with the MMORPG itself.
What happened? Five days ago, the MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria entered Pre-Alpha. Only parkour elements were shown, but it was the first step towards a playable version.
On March 25, the CEO of Soulbound Studios, the company behind the MMORPG, announced that all employees were laid off and the development of Chronicles of Elyria was halted.
For years, the studio tried to convince publishers to invest money. Despite some very innovative ideas, they failed to find a partner:
Unfortunately, we were unable to find investors who understood that working in a capital-constrained environment does not allow for growth and slows down progress.
What we did find were several investors who said: “Why are you talking to us? If you believe that you can be supported through crowdfunding, then you don’t need us. And if you are not convinced, then we are not confident enough to invest.”
Jeromy W – CEO of Soulbound Studios
Now the developer has run out of crowdfunding money. They consciously decided against a new campaign for funding through players.
Kingdoms and Aging Processes Attracted Many Supporters
What was special about Chronicles of Elyria? The sandbox MMORPG was considered very ambitious and wanted to give you the opportunity to live a virtual life and create your own dynasty.
It relied on:
- A huge world with many kingdoms.
- Many freedoms in character development. You should be able to live a life as a trader, craftsman, adventurer, or ruler of a city.
- An aging process, where your character would get older and die. The idea was to father a successor and continue the game with them.
- Role-playing was considered one of the most important aspects of the MMORPG.
- Housing was also planned.
How did the development go? The MMORPG tried to raise $900,000 through Kickstarter in 2016. This was achieved in a few days. In total, more than $1.3 million was raised.
The first shown content of Chronicles of Elyria even looked quite good. But the development took a long time and reached a point where the basic systems were first presented in a very simplified graphics.
This faced criticism and players complained about the setbacks. There was also criticism for many events related to real money, as well as an advent calendar with in-game items that cost a whopping $95. However, there was never a playable version until the end.
The Universe Should Continue to Exist
What happens now? In the CEO’s statement, there is a reflection on achieved milestones, as well as a vague outlook on the future.
Some developers wish to continue developing the existing alpha content of the MMORPG in their free time, creating at least a playable version, albeit with adjusted names and content.
The universe itself and the associated stories are also supposed to be continued somehow. After all, according to the CEO, there are many Discord servers and communities that already engage in role-playing related to Elyria.
His statement ends with a thank you to the supporters and the note that he has no idea whether Elyria will come back at all:
I don’t know if or when Elyria will reappear, but when it does, you will be the first to know. From myself, Souzou, Vye, Snipehunter, Serpentius, and the entire Soulbound team:
Thank you for your love and support. We’ll see you then.
Thus, the first MMORPG died in 2020, but our author Alexander Leitsch still suspects the death of at least 6 other MMOs this year.
