As if in response to today's earlier City of Heroes news, developer Cryptic Studios has released a couple new screenshots of its upcoming superhero MMO Champions Online.

The game promises a near-infinite amount of character design possibilities, along with the ability to customize avatar back-stories and abilities.

Champions Online is slated for a spring 2009 release on PC and unspecified consoles.

Cryptic Studios has released the first trailer for Champions Online, their recently announced PC / XBox 360 superhero MMO. The video runs for about a minute and includes gameplay footage.

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Cryptic Studios, developer of the superhero MMO City of Heroes, have today announced their next project: Champions Online, a self-published superhero MMO based on the popular pen-and-paper game Champions RPG.

The key bullet point of Champions Online will be customization, with Cryptic boasting a "near infinite" amount of character-defining traits.

Says the press release: "Gamers will be able to create their hero's name, back story, costume, powers and abilities as well as design their own personal arch-enemy and his or her back story, which will guarantee a truly unique experience."

"We thought carefully about which IP to select for our next game," said Cryptic chief creative officer Jack Emmert. "I've been playing the Champions RPG since it first came out and I love both the rich history and the wide array of compelling characters which made this an obvious choice for Cryptic Studios."

Champions Online is slated for a spring 2009 release. A website for the project has also been launched.

With Marvel Universe Online (PC, X360) officially canceled and the studio no longer involved with City of Heroes (PC), the latest effort from superhero MMO developer Cryptic Studios is Champions Online, a super-powered MMO planned for PC and consoles.

Word of the project comes from a writeup detailing gaming publication Game Informer's March issue. No further details are available at this time.

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