Champions Online No Longer Coming to Consoles

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The oft-promised console edition of Champions Online is no more, as developer Cryptic Studios has revealed that "there are no current plans for a console version."

The super-powered MMO, released on PC in September 2009, was once slated to hit both PC and Xbox 360 simultaneously. Cryptic later changed its tune, saying the console version would arrive later, with owner Atari hoping it would still hit within 2009.

"100% of our focus is on making the current PC product the best it can be," reads an official forum post from Cryptic creative director Jack Emmert, noticed by Team Xbox.

Cryptic previously told VG247 that it was "ready to go" with an Xbox 360 version, cautioning "but until we get the go ahead from Microsoft, right now we're sort of waiting" and adding "it just takes time for the big beast known as Microsoft to get moving."

Champions Online marks the latest on a growing pile of MMOs once slated to arrive on Xbox 360, including Cryptic's very own Marvel Universe Online, while long-promised others, like Funcom's Age of Conan, have still yet to arrive. However, Microsoft's platform isn't entirely devoid of MMOs--Square's Final Fantasy XI hit Xbox 360 in April 2006, and Capcom recently announced plans to bring Monster Hunter Frontier to Xbox 360.

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    March 24, 2010 9:50 AM

    DAMMIT!! This keeps happening to MMOs destined for a console release.
    I'm starting to think that decent sized MMOs just aren't capable of running on consoles and that's why they keep getting pulled from it.

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      March 24, 2010 9:56 AM

      I doubt the console itself is the issue. More likely to be the infrastructure to support it.

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        March 24, 2010 10:27 AM

        Not to mention the money issues. I'm sure Microsoft would want a hefty cut of the monthly fee in order to get that onto Live.

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      March 24, 2010 11:19 AM

      User made mods and add ons would be non existent on consoles which have become pretty much standard in MMOs.

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        March 24, 2010 8:48 PM

        Does Cryptic even allow UI add ons and customization?

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      March 24, 2010 11:43 AM

      As someone with intimate ties with this process, I can guarantee it has everything to do with MS being unwilling to strike a fair deal, and wanting an inordinate share of profits for the service, while severely hampering your freedom to publish content. It's just not worth it unless you're willing to bend over and take it.

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        March 25, 2010 3:09 AM

        Damn microsoft.... they make decent hardware but they keep shafting their customers to make a quick buck. It's because of MS that xbox owners don't have BBC iPlayer because BBC want it to be free for everybody (as its funded by advertising) but MS will only allow it to gold members who pay the Live subscription.

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