We ask the company behind it.
If, that is, it returns.
I cannot ever remember an MMO ever doing something similar.
In this article, I talk to Monumental about the decision and what it could mean.
But first, a bit of background.
“[…] We’re going to use this time to map out the future of the game.
Nothing is off the table.”
The service will go dark from 22nd November (11am CST).
There are some other particulars you’re able to readon the Crowfall website.
Launch numbers seemed great!
August numbers were… good.
Not great, but not bad enough to sustain the game’s ongoing operations.
But the numbers were falling.
By the time September hit, the numbers had fallen dramatically.
The solution came from Monty Kerr and his game company Monumental.
Kerr was apparently a fan and opinionated about what needed changing, and Kerr and Coleman became friends.
Coleman stayed at ArtCraft with a few people to work on a new game.
He declined to comment on the recent Crowfall news when I contacted him.
That brings us up to date.
This all leaves Crowfall in a precarious position.
The biggest question iswillit actually return?
I put these questions to Monumental CEO Monty Kerr.
“That means - even with an expanded team - it’s difficult to do anything beyond incremental changes.
“My feelings haven’t changed,” Kerr added.
“I love the idea of Crowfall.
We have veteran rockstar leaders, an amazing team, and a game with great bones.
Nothing is off the table.
I’m pushing for dramatic improvements and I certainly hope the result to be a very different game.”
I followed this final point - how different could the re-emerging Crowfall be?
- up with him.
He replied: “I’ve asked the team to be bold and leave nothing off the table.
“We’re investing in the team and I’m not going to rush them.
MMOs are hard and it’s going to take time.
And, since nothing is off the table, we may emerge with a very different game.
So, what could change?
Simplifying this sounds like good sense to me.
To lose that now, or to homogenise so that succeed, would be an ironic twist of fate.
Then, there’s Shroud of the Avatar, a spiritual successor toUltima Onlineby Ultima creator Richard Garriott.
This was alsoKickstarted in 2013, and then supported by in-game property sales.
The game still just about lives on, run by Catnip games, but Richard Garriott is long gone.
