Expert Claims Titan Cancellation Cost Blizzard $50 Million

Originally leaked in 2007 many expected Blizzard’s secret MMO project, Titan, would be the next big thing following the gradual decline of the popularity surrounding World of Warcraft but recent statements from the king of the MMO have shown otherwise. During a recent interview Blizzard Co-Founder and CEO, Mike Morhaime, explained the reasons behind the cancellation of Project Titan, explaining that Blizzard didn’t necessarily want to support another traditional MMO

“We didn’t find the fun,” Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime told Polygon
in an interview. “We didn’t find the passion. We talked about how we
put it through a reevaluation period, and actually, what we reevaluated
is whether that’s the game we really wanted to be making. The answer is
no.”

The news comes as a big disappointment for those hoping that Blizzard would repeat the success of WoW with another, higher quality MMO. Independent industry analyst Billy Pidgeon recently spoke out and suggested that cancelling the project could have cost Blizzard upwards of $50 million – although it’s much less severe than the launch of a lackluster title:

“Development costs for Titan
may have amounted to tens of millions, perhaps $50 million or more.
This is not an unusual event, however. Blizzard has cancelled several
games in various stages of development in the past. Costs for unreleased
games can be significant, but launching substandard games can harm the
reputation of a successful publisher such as Blizzard. Expenses for
development can be considered R&D, and benefits can include
invaluable training, IP and technology that can be applied to other
games,” .

Source: MMOSite

Leave a Comment