True Fantasy Live Online gets the axe

Microsoft Japan today announced the cancellation of True Fantasy Live Online, the promising massively multiplayer role-playing game for the Xbox that was first unveiled in 2002. The game was being developed by veteran developer Level 5, whose recent work has included the Dark Cloud franchise for the PlayStation 2.

In a press release issued this morning in Japan, Microsoft stated that the cancellation was due to the lack of progress in development. Citing the game's inability to deliver a level of quality satisfactory to consumers, Microsoft opted to cancel the project, which had been slated for a winter release this year in Japan.

When contacted for comment, a representative from Microsoft in the US issued the following statement: "The difficult decision to cancel True Fantasy Live Online was based on a number of careful considerations, including the game's progression to date and the remaining development time needed to complete such an ambitious project. The MMORPG genre, across all platforms, has become an incredibly crowded and competitive marketplace. In response, Microsoft Game Studios has decided to streamline its portfolio, making fewer bets in this genre."

Added the representative, "At Microsoft Game Studios, we continually evaluate our portfolio strategy and investments to ensure we are achieving our most important objectives of creating successful, platform-driving titles in a timely manner. We truly appreciate all the support True Fantasy Live Online has received from its fans and the games community."

For his part, Level 5 president Akihiro Hino said (via press release): "True Fantasy Live Online was being developed as the ultimate MMORPG on the Xbox Live, but we couldn't foresee the game to offer innovative new experiences to our users. With extreme regret, we have decided to cancel its development."