Codemasters calls off Hei$t - Report

Nearly three years ago, Codemasters announced its entry into the Grand Theft Auto-style crime-action genre with Hei$t. Developed by InXile Entertainment, the game was set in 1969 San Francisco, where players would rob banks and plan violent getaways decked out in funky styles and driving classic muscle cars.

Hei$t was in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC and made a favorable impression on previewers when first displayed to the press in mid-2007. However, since the game missed its originally scheduled December 2007 launch date, it has remained largely out of sight, raising questions about its ultimate fate. The fact InXile's sole other release, the 2004/2005 reboot of The Bard's Tale, drew only middling reviews added to concerns.

Now, it appears the doubters had good reason to be worried. British game site CVG is reporting that Codemasters has informed it that Hei$t has been canceled outright.

"After a much extended development period, Hei$t has been terminated as a project and removed from our release schedule," a Codemasters rep informed CVG. "Codemasters is focusing its future portfolio on high-quality titles that will, in the majority, be developed and produced by our internal studios."

As of press time, e-mails sent to and voicemails left with InXile reps requesting the status of Hei$t had not been returned.