Blizzard Entertainment Cancels Odyssey Game
In a surprising move, Blizzard Entertainment announced on Thursday the cancellation of their survival game codenamed “Odyssey,” following Microsoft’s decision to lay off 8% of their gaming division employees. This decision comes just three months after Microsoft officially acquired Activision Blizzard in a $69 billion deal. Despite the dedicated team of over 100 people working on the game for more than six years, Odyssey will never see the light of day as a fully developed brand.
Blizzard spokesperson Andrew Reynolds cited the company’s focus on projects with the highest potential for future growth as the reason for canceling Odyssey. This may be a nod to their existing successful franchises like Overwatch and World of Warcraft. While some team members were let go, Blizzard plans to shift others to several exciting new projects that are still in the early stages of development.
According to a recent Bloomberg report, new details about Odyssey have emerged. It was intended to be an elaborate survival game in the style of Minecraft and Rasta, with Craig Amai, a veteran Blizzard employee, serving as its visionary. Development began in 2017, with an official announcement in 2022 and a gradually expanding team.
Initially, Odyssey was being developed on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. However, the engine fell short in meeting the game’s complex requirements, such as creating large maps to accommodate up to 100 players. As a result, the team decided to switch the production to Blizzard’s own engine, Synapse. Unfortunately, the previous prototype proved to be inadequately flexible, leading to significant portions being discarded.
Although progress was being made on the project, the game remained far from its release date, which was planned for 2026. This would have required a substantial increase in the size of the team. Ultimately, Blizzard determined that the Synapse engine was not yet ready for production and made the decision to cancel the project.
Blizzard Entertainment has always been known for pushing boundaries and taking risks. “Experimentation and risk-taking are part of Blizzard’s history and creative process,” Reynolds said. “Ideas intertwine between different games or, in some cases, become separate productions. Starting something entirely new is one of the toughest challenges in the gaming industry, and we are immensely grateful to all the talented individuals who supported this project.”
With Microsoft’s layoff of 1,900 gaming division employees, the future of Blizzard’s original projects now hangs in the balance.
FAQ
1. Why did Blizzard Entertainment cancel the game codenamed Odyssey?
Blizzard Entertainment made the decision to focus on projects with the highest potential for future growth, likely referring to their existing franchises like Overwatch and World of Warcraft.
2. What are the details about the game Odyssey?
The team working on Odyssey consisted of over 100 people, and development lasted over six years before the project was canceled. It was intended to be a completely new brand, a survival game in the style of Minecraft and Rasta.
3. Who came up with the idea for the game Odyssey?
The idea for Odyssey was conceived by Blizzard veteran Craig Amai.
4. When was the release of the game Odyssey planned?
The game Odyssey was scheduled for release in 2026, but the project was ultimately canceled.
5. Which game engines were used in the development of Odyssey?
Initially, the game was being developed on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, but the team decided to switch to Blizzard’s Synapse engine.
6. Were there any progress made on the project?
Work was indeed progressing on the project, but the game was still far from completion and would have required a significant expansion of the team.
7. What consequences may the Microsoft layoffs have for Blizzard’s original projects?
The layoff of 1,900 gaming division employees by Microsoft raises concerns about the future of Blizzard’s original projects.
Definitions
– Activision Blizzard: A game development and publishing company known for titles such as Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty.
– Survival game: A genre of games where the player’s main objective is to survive in a hostile environment, often involving resource gathering and combat.
– Overwatch: A first-person multiplayer game developed by Blizzard Entertainment.
– World of Warcraft: An MMORPG developed by Blizzard Entertainment.
– Unreal Engine: A game engine developed by Epic Games, commonly used for creating video games.
– Minecraft: A popular sandbox video game where players can build and explore a virtual world.
– Rasta: A reference to Rastafarian culture, a religious and philosophical movement originating in Jamaica.
Source: example.com
The source of the article is from the blog macholevante.com