For 10 years, the legendary MMORPG developer Marc Jacobs (Dark Age of Camelot, Warhammer) has been working on his indie MMORPG Camelot Unchained. Since 2020, the game seemed to be in a deep crisis; fans who had pumped money into the MMORPG turned away disappointed from the project. But in November 2022, there is a glimmer of hope: A new round of investment brings fresh money into the coffers. Apparently, Jacobs is taking advantage of the hype surrounding the metaverse.
What kind of MMORPG is this?
- Camelot Unchained is intended as a “spiritual successor” to Dark Age of Camelot (2001). The MMORPG from the “pre-WoW” era is still considered one of the best PvP MMORPGs of all time.
- As in DAOC, three realms fight against each other in Camelot Unchained, mythologically inspired by the Arthurian legend (knights and wizards), Norse mythology (dwarves and trolls), and Celtic mythology (elves and gnomes).
- Camelot Unchained aims to offer players epic battles, with (currently) up to 1,800 players, and maximum freedom. Through a proprietary engine, the game aims to provide many opportunities for players to customize their characters.
MMORPG has been struggling for 10 years, deep crisis since 2020
When did things go wrong? Camelot Unchained has a massive vision, but limited resources. Jacobs originally comes from AAA game development and was with Electronic Arts, but wanted to develop the new project uncompromisingly on his own.
His studio “City State Entertainment,” founded in 2010, is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and has always struggled to hire developers who want to work from there.
Development has therefore progressed only slowly. Beta tests and development milestones have repeatedly been postponed.
There was a setback in 2020 when the team announced it would separate a new game from Camelot Unchained and release it to gain some release experience. The team itself viewed the new game as part of the development of Camelot Unchained.
But the Battle Royale “Final Stand: Ragnarok” upset fans, who wished Jacobs and his team would focus entirely on Camelot Unchained.
Since 2020, the mood surrounding the MMORPG has been quite poor. Some former supporters of the crowdfunding MMORPG felt cheated and demanded their money back:
New funds aim to accelerate development
This is the new news: During an investment round, the company was able to raise $15 million, and this seems to bring Jacobs new momentum. He says:
We definitely want to take it to the next level. We have solved the toughest issues like networking and rendering, and it’s running fast now.
Jacobs states that they have already started to reap the first benefits from the new funds to elevate the team to the next level. It is reassuring that they now have the means to recruit the talent they need – especially given the difficult economic situation worldwide.
According to Jacobs, development is expected to proceed more quickly now. He also emphasizes that Camelot Unchained will not become a “blockchain” game; he doesn’t believe this technology adds anything valuable to MMOs.
Furthermore, the team highlights the power of the engine they’ve developed for Camelot Unchained and envisions potentially licensing it later.
In light of the 10 years of development time, Jacobs admits self-critically:
We have been working on Camelot Unchained for a long time, but now we are able to hire more people and accelerate development.
Camelot Unchained receives funding perhaps due to “metaverse” hype
Why are they getting so much money now? From the outside, it sounds like Jacobs is capitalizing on the hype surrounding the “metaverse” among investors. A thing none really knows what it is, but into which investors want to pour massive amounts of money.
Jacobs states in an interview with Venturebeat:
In the end, it’s an MMO; that’s what we can deliver. With the right financial support, we could absolutely have a metaverse. But we will stay focused. Our focus is on developing an engine that can deliver large battles.
After 10 years and so much broken porcelain, one can only wish Jacobs good luck in spending the $15 million wisely.
When we last took an in-depth look at Camelot Unchained, it felt like visiting a scorched land:
MMORPG Camelot Unchained has been in development for 9 years – the mood is openly hostile
