Fantastic Pixel Castle’s ambitious MMORPG, Ghost, faces an uncertain future. Studio head Greg Street has confirmed that their publishing agreement with NetEase Games is concluding. Led by the former World of Warcraft lead systems designer and comprising many veterans from Blizzard and Riot Games, Ghost possesses the potential to be one of the most exciting new MMORPGs in years. However, Street candidly stated, “If we’re unable to find a publisher soon, the reality is that the studio would likely close, and the entire team, leadership included, would be affected.”
Just two months prior, we received our first substantial in-game preview of the project, codenamed Ghost. While still in its early stages, the renowned talent pool at Fantastic Pixel Castle has generated considerable excitement. Crafting a top-tier MMORPG is an immense undertaking, and it will undoubtedly require significant development time before Ghost can stand alongside genre giants like Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft, and Guild Wars 2.
Now, however, there’s a genuine concern that the game might never reach that stage. “I wanted to share the news that Fantastic Pixel Castle’s time as a first-party studio within NetEase Games is coming to an end,” Street communicated. He noted that NetEase has “been very gracious and supportive of looking for another publisher,” but underscored the difficulty, stating that “in the current market environment very few deals are getting made for any game, let alone something on the scale of an MMORPG.”
“We’re doing everything we can to find a publisher or investor,” Street affirmed. However, FPC is also “encouraging our team members to explore future opportunities and supporting them through the uncertainty.” He extended his gratitude to the community, playtesters, “and the literally hundreds of people who have given us advice on how to find funding in this absurdly challenging time for our industry. I hope you all will have a chance to play Ghost.”
The MMORPG genre hasn’t seen a truly significant shakeup in quite some time. World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV continue to dominate, while a few new contenders like Throne and Liberty strive for a foothold. Other anticipated titles include the dungeon-centric Fellowship, which has garnered positive attention, and the ambitious Ashes of Creation. Given that Zenimax Online, creators of Elder Scrolls Online, recently canceled their next MMORPG, the loss of Ghost would represent another substantial setback for the genre.
In his concluding remarks, Street expressed profound gratitude to his team. “I know it’s cliché to say this, but demonstrably this is the best team I have ever worked with. We are rigorous in collecting data, and the data on our team morale and performance is higher than I have ever seen. Despite the challenges, the past two years have been the most satisfying of my career.”
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