The untitled Marvel-based massively multiplayer online game from Daybreak Games has been canceled. Swedish video game holding company Enad Global 7 announced plans to discontinue development on the project and reallocate its resources to focus on "alternative long-term projects."
The Marvel game was first announced through EG7's Q3 2021 investor presentation. Little is known about the game, other than it was in development at Dimensional Ink, a division of Daybreak Game Company. Development was led by video game designer Jack Emmert (City of Heroes, DC Universe Online).
EG7 didn't give a specific reason for the game's cancelation, only stating:
Based on the re-evaluation of the development risk profile, size of investment, and the long-term product portfolio strategy for the group, the board has decided to change the development priorities and reallocate resources within the group to focus on alternative long-term projects.
EG7 has planned to invest more than SEK 500 million ($50.7 million) into the Marvel project over the next three years. That investment will now be diversified across multiple smaller projects, including previously announced upgrades to the long-running MMOs The Lord of the Rings Online and DC Universe Online as well as "new game opportunities with our first party, original IPs."
The company will take a bit of a financial hit and expects a write down — essentially a loss — of approximately SEK 230 million ($23.3 million). There's no word on whether or not this cancelation will result in layoffs from Daybreak Games. The studio had already undergone staff cuts back in 2018 as the result of a previous Marvel game being canceled.