Stargate enters MMO universe

With Stargate SG-1 on the verge of becoming the longest-running American sci-fi TV show ever, it seems about time that someone took a crack at turning it into a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for PCs. That someone will be the new development house Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, the company announced today.

Stargate Worlds will let players explore the universe of the film as soldiers and scientists, creating alliances and trade while defending humanity from hostile alien forces. Little has been revealed about the title, but it will draw upon both Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis for inspiration.

While Cheyenne Mountain has no games to its credit, its management team has plenty of industry experience. Vice president of product development Joseph Ybarra started in the industry more than two decades ago as a producer with Electronic Arts. Games to his credit include PC classics such as M.U.L.E. and Wasteland and MMO games like Shadowbane and The Matrix Online. Art director Stu Rose worked on many of Blizzard's PC hits, from Diablo to World of Warcraft, while creative director Chris Klug cut his teeth as a game designer with the 1981 sci-fi RPG Universe and in more recent years worked on the sci-fi MMORPG Earth & Beyond.

Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and MGM Interactive entered into the licensing agreement for Stargate Worlds last September, shortly after a previous game based on the TV series apparently imploded. A release date for Stargate Worlds has yet to be announced.