Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, the Mesa-based software developer currently working on the MMORPG Stargate Worlds, says that despite funding problems the game is still being produced.
Senior marketing manager Kevin Balentine told fan site GateWorld:
“We’re still in business, the lights are still on, we’re still working on the game. “I think fans are going to be concerned regardless of what we say or do at this point. It’s a natural reaction to what’s happening in the economy and what’s happening in our industry. There’s a lot of different companies going out of business right now. … But we’re still here, we’re still working, we’ve ridden out what I think is the worst of the situation and we all firmly believe that we’re going to come through this stronger and better.”
The studio said more beta testing will soon commence, and that since the hoped-for release date of fall 2008 had been shot, don’t expect a new release date for while. Marketing should rev up soon, though, with new screen shots and trailers on the way.
Last week, the producer of the Stargate SG-1 television series, who has consulted on the project, told GateWorld that he didn’t know what was happening with the game. Last month, sci-fi news site Airlock Alpha reported that Cheyenne Mountain was not only having trouble paying its employees, but also was now being sued for unpaid accounts.
UPDATE – From the developers: Stargate Worlds development continues:
Our official response is that the lights here are still on and the development team is working hard every day to get this game built.
I’ve been asked from many corners lately to provide an official response to a story circulated by Gateworld.net. I spoke with Darren Sumner, the author of the story, soon after it was posted and gave him a detailed response to the article which he decided not to publish.
Our official response is that the lights here are still on and the development team is working hard every day to get this game built. Team members are in the office seven days a week to deliver Stargate Worlds. Brad Wright is the Stargate expert and a creative consultant on Stargate Worlds who advises us on the story; unfortunately we had not recently updated him on our progress or the impact from the current global economic crisis, and he was not fully aware of the continuing progress on our game.
It’s true that the production of Stargate Worlds has been significantly impacted by the greatest worldwide economic downturn in decades, but we are still raising enough money from angel investors to keep the dev team working.
We are currently negotiating several deals that will cover our financial responsibilities and fund the remainder of development. When we sign those deals, you’ll hear about it. Until then, we’ll keep building Stargate Worlds, because right now, that’s the only thing that matters to us.
