Stargate Worlds receives new funding, development to continue
by James Egan 
Aug 21st 2009 at 7:30PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Stargate Worlds
The sci-fi MMO Stargate Worlds had mostly fallen off of our radar, and with good reason. It's seemed that Stargate Worlds would not see a release -- the developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment faced major cash flow issues resulting in employees not being paid and subsequent lawsuits. There were also departures of some of the major individuals connected with the game's development that painted a grim picture. There has been the occasional glimmer of hope of obtaining more funding, though, and some of the Stargate Worlds team has stuck with the project as additional financing for the title was sought. Now it seems things may be turning around for Stargate Worlds with the latest bit of info we came across, that Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has gotten that needed funding.
Dana Massey over at MMORPG.com recently spoke with CME about where the project stands. Massey writes, "Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has received the funding that they believe will allow them to complete work on Stargate Worlds, and eventually pay back vendors and past and present employees who are still owed back pay."
Massey quotes CME's Creative Director Shane Hensley who says, "Things are actually very good here right now. We received some funding commitments that will provide financing over time and allow us to move forward with development and start catching up on our past due financial obligations, including some back payroll that we paid last week."
This is some of the most positive news regarding the future of Stargate Worlds that we've heard for some time, and we suspect a number of our readers who are fans of the Stargate IP will be pleased to hear things may be looking up for this title.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jack said on 7:53PM 8-21-2009
Great job keep going and release this stuff.... However try not to release anywhere near World of Warcraft Cataclysm, Warhammer online make that mistake before. I know WoW not got noting to do with Stargate or Scifi but better be save them sorry.
Get of Scifi fans to play this game and bring more people to the mmo world please! :D
Good luck guys!
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GaaaaaH said on 10:05PM 8-21-2009
WAR also made the mistake of not being ready on release
Jack said on 10:44PM 8-21-2009
Agree!
Lateris said on 8:28PM 8-21-2009
Go to it laddies. I am in Phoenix and I am rooting for ya! Nail it down and make an awesome MMORPG. Sell those frakking hummers!
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Dblade said on 8:47PM 8-21-2009
I think if any title actually needs a paid beta, this one will. Getting more funding is nice, but it's just going to be more money you need to pay back before being profitable, and raises the stakes of how successful you have to be to stay in the black.
Hopefully stargate fans will keep it afloat long enough after release to do so.
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seldom said on 2:51AM 8-22-2009
Eh, not sure how this is good news for Stargate fans. CME's shown clear competency problems, and the game has gone off track for so long that even if it ever sees the light of day it'll have missed it's opportunity by so far nobody but the most hardcore SG fan will give it a look. I'd have more faith in a SG mmo ever coming out if MGM pulled the plug and gave the license to someone else.
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Temko said on 5:34AM 8-22-2009
the issue is not so much ït's a SG mmo so they'l love it"
it's more along the lines of.. . wtf does it add to the ganre that tabula rasa didn't die with?
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Swusn said on 7:50AM 8-22-2009
This is unfortunate, I love the stargate IP but this game looks horrible and with all the development problems I don'th think Cheyenne can do it justice. I had hoped this project had died off for good and we would see another developer start froms scratch. Now it looks like we will have the whole SWG situation all over again. Maybe in another decade someone can make a decent looking stargate game.
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Enact said on 11:21AM 8-22-2009
"the game has gone off track for so long that even if it ever sees the light of day it'll have missed it's opportunity by so far nobody but the most hardcore SG fan will give it a look."
I'm not so sure about a missed opportunity, mostly cause Stargate Universe is gonna start in October, so if there is any time to realese your game, it's when the IP is fresh in peoplle's minds. That being said, IMO SGW looks decent as is, interesting desgin concepts, but to echo others, maybe it would be best to pull the plug and maybe transfer some of the resources (concept art, etc) to a new developer who is a bit more stable. It would be a shame if this didn't come out.
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tedero said on 2:55PM 8-22-2009
I'm so hopeful regarding Stargate Worlds! Sure, some folks left but wow talk about dedication for those devs who stuck around when they were not even sure if they'd get paid! That's the kind of dedication and belief in a product that gives me hope for this game.
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Dread said on 3:07PM 8-22-2009
PT Barnum said it best 'There's a sucker born every minute'.
After squandering $50 Million PLUS in Hummers, new buildings and whatnot, they've managed to finagle another $8 million from people desperate to recoup the money they've already invested. And all still with no product to show for it other than some very dated screenshots and lackluster concepts.
Cheyenne tried to go for the moon instead of concentrating on their core of getting a good Stargate MMO out to the public. All the Publishing, separate studios, separate business divisions, shady Pyramid schemes etc buying ridiculous flashy assets, building new buildings etc was an ego trip of massive proportions that came back to bite them on the arse - hard. Yet people were stupid enough to give them more money? Guess this Global Financial Crisis isn't as bad as they make out?
Don't get me wrong, I love the Stargate IP and would give my left nut to see a decent Stargate MMO that does justice to the IP, I don't see SGW being it though. Which is going to make future Developers/Investors gun shy about future Stargate projects :(
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DuceWild said on 9:15PM 8-22-2009
Anyone else notice that Teal'c appears to have black clown shoes on?
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fatpanda said on 9:34PM 8-22-2009
Stargate = good MMO
Battlestar Galactica would = awesome MMO IMO
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InfamousBrad said on 4:37PM 8-23-2009
Good grief. By the time it comes out, will anybody still remember Stargate? "Hey, there's this weird new MMO, based on a TV series my parents used to watch."
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mallaeus said on 4:27AM 8-24-2009
As a hardcore Stargate fan and someone who followed the development of this game up until the Cheyenne Mountain had it's financial problems, I won't be playing this game. What I've seen so far does not give me confidence that this will be anything more than a poorly made "theme park" MMO that ignores the core of the Stargate IP.
Sure, it may be "fun" interacting with iconic characters from the series, but they are limiting themselves in the long run. What this looks like is a repeat of Tabula Rasa (a game I Beta tested) and that's NOT a good thing. I said a long time ago on the forums that this looks like a "Wormhole Extreme!" MMO (Stargate fans will get the reference) as opposed to a Stargate MMO.
There is a LOT that this game could have been from the beginning, if they had had a proper creative team. It could still have been "fun", but bringing in some realism and eschewing the traditional MMO model would have worked far better. Instead what I see is something I could have put together with a few of my friends modding an existing game.
My hats off to the guys sticking with making the game, but what I've heard so far makes this whole project seem like a money grab or publicity stunt that was never expected to get off the ground. I mean, seriously; they have a tie in to the game in the trailers for Stargate Universe. If there was a time for the game, it was Q1 2009. The second Stargate Universe hits TV screens, it will be far too late.
What would it take for me to play the game? A realistic "Stargate" experience where I can play a member of an SG team. I want an original story to take part in and varied challenges. I don't want pointlessly upgradable armor, I don't want fantasy weapons, I don't want a grind to get "end game" weapons and armor that only have a point in either end game content or PvP.
I want an interactive story in the Stargate universe that makes sense and has the potential to go beyond the series. Splat races (Asgard) added in just for fan service is ridiculous. It also doesn't fit with how said races were portrayed in the series, especially if part of the storyline takes part during the early seasons of the series as has been stated. It's ridiculous.
Sorry but I think allowing this farce of a project to continue is bad for Stargate.
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Innocente said on 12:13PM 8-24-2009
It's like a damn Zombie. The walking dead.
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Happyfish said on 8:20PM 8-24-2009
This may have been the one MMO where instancing would not have broken my immersion. Have central hubs with stargates that teleport you to instanced worlds would have worked pretty well with my suspension of disbelief.
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