Mythica is no more

Late today, Microsoft announced it has cancelled its forthcoming MMORPG game Mythica. In a short announcement on the official Mythica site, Microsoft Game Studios' Adam Waalkes said, "After careful evaluation of the MMORPG landscape, MGS has decided to stream-line its portfolio, making fewer investments in this genre." Presumably, this statement refers to the now-saturated MMORPG market and the competition Mythica would have faced with the concurrent releases of EverQuest II, Lineage II and World of Warcraft.

For gamers, the result of Mythica's cancellation is the loss of a promising-looking fantasy title based on Norse mythology. Players would have donned the horned helmet of a dead Viking who, after arriving in Valhalla, enlists to fight in the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarok.

For employees of Microsoft Game Studios, Microsoft's decision will have much more serious and immediate consequences. In the short term, up to 40 developers will lose their jobs. Since Mythica was one of Microsoft's major PC titles, the cancellaiton also raises questions about the studio's long-term PC game strategy. As Mythica's now cruelly ironic tagline said, "the end is only the beginning..."