Cryptic bringing Champions Online to PCs, consoles

Earlier this week came the news that Marvel Universe Online was canceled. The revelation was unwelcome for Xbox 360 owners hungry for a massively multiplayer online role-playing game offering cross-platform play with Vista-equipped PCs. It also upset fans of the stillborn game's developer, Cryptic Studios.

Luckily, after not-so-much ado, comes word that the unraveling of the Marvel Universe Online project hasn't stopped Cryptic from chugging ahead with a console MMORPG. The same Game Informer cover which bestowed the final titles of Aliens: Colonial Marines and Red Faction: Guerrilla also revealed an all-new project from Cryptic, Champions Online.

Like a combination of Cryptic's two other MMORPGs, City of Heroes and City of Villains, the game will let players be both superheroes and supervillians within the same virtual realm. Though details on the project are thin, Game Informer did confirm that Champions Online is "taking on PCs and consoles." (Emphasis added.)

Although no specific platforms were mentioned, given Cryptic's work on Marvel Universe Online, a 360 version is definitely possible. It's also worth noting that at last year's E3 Media and Business Summit, City of Heroes publisher and IP owner NCsoft announced it was working on an MMORPG project for the PlayStation 3.

GameSpot will have more details on Champions Online when it becomes available.