Star Trek Online engaging Feb. 2

Cryptic Studios' MMORPG based on iconic sci-fi franchise will warp onto PCs before Valentine's Day.

Cryptic Studios is on a tight turnaround schedule. Having been acquired by Atari in December 2008, the studio released Champions Online--its first massively multiplayer online game since 2005's City of Villains--in September for the PC. (An Xbox 360 edition of the superhero game is also planned.) With rumors circulating of the San Francisco Bay Area studio readying a Neverwinter Nights MMO role-playing game for 2011, Cryptic is also at work on Star Trek Online for a launch early next year.

Hint: Engaging Klingons in asteroid fields can have dire consequences.

Now, Star Trek Online's release date has reportedly came into focus, as Atari and Cryptic Studios have announced that the PC game's servers will go live on February 2 in North America and February 5 in Europe. Cryptic Studios said that it had picked up the rights to make the Star Trek MMOG from Perpetual Entertainment in July 2008, after that studio fell on financial hardship.

Star Trek Online operates independently from any of the events established in the film or television series. Players assume the role of a starship captain operating under the banner of either the United Federation of Planets (better known simply as "the Federation") or the Klingon, who are locked in an intergalactic struggle. The hive-minded Borg will also play a role in the MMOG.

Star Trek Online entered a closed beta-testing phase in late October, and Cryptic Studios is still accepting applicants through its official Web site. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Star Trek Online.

45 Comments

  • iggygeneva

    Posted Nov 10, 2009 8:50 am PT

    I'm very skeptical about this game, it really needs to have Star trek flavor, space combat should be more than just managing your deflector shield, ground combat should be more than just phasers and melee like the demo.... There needs to be good story, ways to outthink every opponent, and good plot twists, you should be able to walk around your own ship, and there should be intense depth to these things, transporter accidents would be cool too, there should also be a lot of BioWare - esque dialogue trees when meeting new species and in away teams....

    From what I've seen so far, it looks like a Pirates! ship combat system with basic MMO ground fighting

  • Sirbobislost

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 7:22 am PT

    From what I've seen the space combat, ship upgrades and crew lvlimg system look like a much more indepth version of starfleet command 3 system which if I'm right (and I so hope I am) this games gonna be awesome but the ground combat is my main concern I really hope they don't screw this up

  • Gruug

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 1:41 pm PT

    Cryptic has been denying the release date of Feb. 2. They have been saying that no one at Cryptic has mentioned any release date as of yet. So, the "reportly" in the article above in most likely "false rumor".

  • jorel12

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 5:50 am PT

    what about the xbox 360 version? release date?

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 11:19 pm PT

    I hope you are wrong BloodMist. If it turns out to be WoW in space I will be horrified. - We all get starships and ground missions. That basic Star Trek formula is unique to MMOs. It is a great starting point for future expansions. The graphics look good, except that there are no shield special effects(!).

  • NuKkU

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 8:50 pm PT

    never been the biggest star trek fan so i wont be getting this but good for the fans of Star Trek

  • BloodMist

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 7:45 pm PT

    As a huge fan of Trek, i'm very sad to say that absolutely nothing i have seen of this game has come anywhere close to living up to the potential of such a rich and varied universe.It just looks more like WoW in space, the more it goes along.

  • gijas

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 7:08 pm PT

    Just signed up for the Beta.

  • Jhoalot posted Nov 6, 2009 4:14 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Jhoalot

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 4:14 pm PT (hide)

    i prefer star wars old republic

  • jazilla

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 4:00 pm PT

    I was in the closed beta for Champions and that game was in no way finished the way it should have been. They had some really great ideas and really did nothing with them. The story for this game is so convoluted, and they have stuck with the most cookie-cutter MMO ideas you can possibly imagine.

  • sonynhater

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 4:00 pm PT

    The new star trek movie is set in an alternate dimension than the TOS therefore it doesnt interfere with the "timeline" that some people are worried about

  • Dualityeq

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 3:33 pm PT

    Do not bother with this game or anything "Cryptic" makes. Dont beleive how bad this game will be just head over to the Champions online forums and see how bad they have been on that game.
    Im upset at how bad their customer support is. Champions is full of bugs,broken powers and no end game content. I hope this game fails so it can be the end of Cryptic

  • GeneralArrow

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 3:16 pm PT

    Well regadless of were atari wants to go I think it'll be interesting to see how they attract a fan base. I for one am looking forward to star trek online.

  • clancy78

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 2:39 pm PT

    i would like to know when the 360 version is coming out, it wasnt mentioned

  • Gladestone1

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 2:35 pm PT

    Enterprise E..Mad doc was already working on that project..Bethestha got during the project..They had no say in any thing that was legacy till the end really..At the time of release it was to little to late..Mad doc was also moved into champions online, some of them any how...If bethestha had that all along..Im sure it wouldnt have turned out the way it did..Mad doc never listened to the fan base at the time...We told them the game was going to flop..

    They didnt add power ups to make it fun,, Other things the fans said to add also was not added..Dont blame bethestha for legacy blame mad doc if any one..

    As far as star trek online..Hope it does well ive been following this for a very long time..Ill be getting this in feb..Along with mass effect 2..

  • Gruug

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 2:25 pm PT

    To those concerned that this game is coming "too soon", I would not worry too much. The game engine is the same as that used in Cryptic's recently released Champions Online. In a nutshell, they just had to lay in a good story, art work and a few new subsystems to get this game up and running. If you go back and look at the gameplay videos you will see that the game currently is very far along. In fact, there is very little (I suspect) that needs to be done on the major side to get this game out the door. Most of the problems will be for things like typos and graphical spots in odd places on maps. Looking forward to this game very much.

  • Merex760

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 2:19 pm PT

    I like Star Trek, I do.
    But honestly, don't these movie makers realize that it's virtually impossible to create a new successful one today?
    Especially one based on Star Trek.
    No hate, just my opinion.

    Oh, wait...

  • NearlyPrescient

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 2:03 pm PT

    @ GeneralArrow
    there's no reason they couldn't make a NWN 4.0. NWN has pretty much used whatever ruleset was current for their mechanics.
    realistically, I think the NWN current set up is pretty great, and I'm not really sure how another D&D MMO should be expected to perform differently just because its Forgotten Realms instead of Eberron, even if they make different design decisions (like open world travel, etc).

  • ASG_

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:53 pm PT

    I like Star Trek, I do.
    But honestly, don't these MMO developers realize that it's virtually impossible to create a new successful one today?
    Especially one based on Star Trek.
    No hate, just my opinion.

  • Enterprise-E

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:35 pm PT

    Awesome. I been having my eye on this one for quite sometime. After the crap that Bethesda and Mad Doc software made with Star Trek Legacy.

  • DaGamingDude

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:20 pm PT

    i hope just that will not be delayed

  • Shaun373 posted Nov 6, 2009 1:20 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Shaun373

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:20 pm PT (hide)

    I'm pretty interested in this but it seems like it went from dead to release date way too quickly to have ironed out everything.

  • Plasmapillar

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:19 pm PT

    I enjoy Star Trek, and I want this to comeout as soon as possible, however, if they rush this (like they are doing right now), then it will be bad and a shame to Star Trek. I hope they wait to put it out.

  • TheKungFool

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:17 pm PT

    I'd play it if it came to consoles.

  • jedinortd_basic

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:17 pm PT

    i was excited about this. but it appears you wont be in the interior of your ship. i don't want to see everything from outside. I want to sit at my station on the bridge!

  • NemesisLives

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 1:08 pm PT

    Maybe February 2011. 2010 is too soon, seems they are rushing this game way too fast. Their closed beta just started about 2 weeks ago. I think they are going to regret this.

  • Elaqure

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:58 pm PT

    @GeneralArrow: I don't think a 4th edition online MMO would do very well. Fourth Ed. sucked in every way imaginable. None of my gamer friends who played it stuck with it. My group did one battle in the system and switched right back to 3.5...

  • GrumblingElite

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:54 pm PT

    Sounds a bit soon. Have they really had it in development long enough? Perhaps it will be delayed again...

  • Whakamole5

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:53 pm PT

    If this game is released on Feb. 2, it'll probably be the first ever MMO that's launched on it's initial release date.

    Seriously, every MMO does this. They announce a a release date then push it back several times to 'iron out the bugs'. If this game does come out next year, it'll be late 3rd - 4th quarter. Sorry fans...there's a lot of work still to be done.

  • Sw0rDMaN

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:41 pm PT

    im getting this

  • GeneralArrow

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:41 pm PT

    Ok, first of all. We don't need a NWN mmo. We have Dragon Age and Dungeons and Dragons Online. If they are seriously thinking about making a NWN mmo they need to look at whats already out there or make it 4th edition D&D to have any success at all.. This is just another good example of bad business. Also Xaus your exactly right. With the reboot of Star Trek this time line is effectively irrelevant and is at best fan cannon right now. In fact its a pretty lame story line designed to just get you in the game.

  • Rechtabrac

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:40 pm PT

    the movie just created a new continuity.

  • xaos

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:30 pm PT

    But wait, didn't the recent Star Trek movie destroy the continuity in which this game takes place?

  • jacobuj

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:26 pm PT

    I'm with you Ibacai. This is too soon. My guess is they want to beat the KOTOR mmo to the punch, but they won't stand a chance with Bioware's following.

  • joeborg14

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:24 pm PT

    Gonna be a flop, I can promise you that.

  • LancerVI

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:24 pm PT

    I hope it turns out well. I am looking forward to this. As much as I like swords and sorcery, it'll be a nice change to go to a technology driven MMO.

    Lancer VI

  • Ibacai

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:21 pm PT

    I'm thinking this might be rushed, really rushed, if it's only going to have a three and a half month beta phase. That's very short.

    I hope it does turn out fantastic but color me skeptical at the moment.

  • Netherscourge

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:16 pm PT

    What exactly do you do in this game? Space battles? Or just land on random planets and shoot stuff with phasers?

  • enoslives7

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:04 pm PT

    I wonder if I could be a Klingon near Uranus???

  • DS_fan_atic

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 12:00 pm PT

    I wonder what the recommended specs are?

  • spector000

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 11:39 am PT

    I hope i get into the beta!

  • siddarthshetty

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 11:35 am PT

    Hmmm....Feb,not far away...

  • monson21502

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 11:13 am PT

    wish they would make a great star trek game on 360 and ps3.

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