I Still Want to See Blizzard’s MMO Game That They Spent 7 Years Making

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The recurring pattern of escalation, decline, and chaos associated with Blizzard’s recent decisions is unfortunate but not entirely unexpected, given the company’s history of taking bold risks that sometimes miss the mark. Prior to their triumph with Overwatch and their ongoing, albeit rocky, commitment to Overwatch 2, Blizzard was primarily recognized for a select number of games, with World of Warcraft being one of the most notable. Following its successful launch and widespread acclaim in 2004, Blizzard’s executives started searching for their next major endeavor.

Emerging from the triumph of World of Warcraft and driven by the competitive drive within the gaming industry to create an MMORPG that could surpass it, nicknamed “WoW-killer,” Blizzard assembled their top talents to initiate a new project: codenamed Titan. This game was envisioned as Blizzard’s next big hit, a title they would be proud to put alongside StarCraft and Warcraft in terms of both ambition and achievement. Regrettably, despite numerous years dedicated to its development, the project ultimately remained unlaunched.

Blizzard Set Out to Make Their Own “WoW-Killer” With No Real Direction

2007 marked the commencement of the development phase for Titan, even though an exact start date for the project has yet to be disclosed publicly. This high-profile project was spearheaded by Rob Pardo, vice president at Blizzard, and staffed with top talents like Chris Metzen, Justin Thavirat, and Shane Dabiri – individuals who had already proven themselves successful within Blizzard before joining the Titan team. With a talented crew on board, they were ready to dive into their work.

Undeniably, they labored diligently. Team after team, huddled on Titan, brainstormed daily to shape the narrative and environment of the game; eventually, they agreed upon an Earth-based setting in the near future, imbued with a science fiction and almost superhero-esque flavor. The player would be given the option to select from numerous classes, embodying a regular citizen during daylight hours – working, maintaining a household, and rearing a family. However, as the sun set, the gameplay dynamic would transform.

In this game, the transition from a life simulation mode to an action-packed shooter setting will take place during the nighttime scenes. This altered gameplay includes player versus player combat in shooter format, where players must defeat others to accomplish set objectives. The class they choose determines their skills and abilities. For example, the Ranger class equips long-range rifles, while the Jumper class enables short-distance teleportation. A variety of additional classes are available to enrich gameplay. During the daytime, the game feels like a Blizzard version of The Sims, but at night, it’s more similar to MMO dungeons and team-based shooters, indicating that the Titan team has taken on quite a diverse range of challenges.

Project Titan Spent Seven Years in Development Hell

As a devoted follower of the Titan team’s journey, I can’t help but notice the colossal scale of their project and the constant growth of their team to match it. However, from the start, it seemed like we were navigating through a fog of clarity when it came to our vision. Some say this might be attributed to Rob Pardo’s unique leadership style-he would often disappear for weeks, only to resurface with a firm rejection of ideas without providing any alternatives or constructive feedback. It left us all feeling a bit lost at sea.

Despite internal feedback indicating that the playable aspects of the game were enjoyable, the team found it challenging to develop a cohesive design or establish a consistent gameplay loop. Although these parts lacked detail and polish, confidential employee reports hinted at potential for the game, particularly in reaching the racing segments.

Regrettably, due to Pardo’s absence of a clear vision, the team found themselves content yet unable to unify the daytime and nighttime aspects of the game, resulting in an experience that felt disjointed when played consecutively. Each part was enjoyable individually, but lacked cohesion. This inconsistency, coupled with a scarcity of compelling ideas for the team to rally around, ultimately led to the internal termination of the project in 2013 and its official cancellation in 2014.

Titan Was Cancelled, But Not Scrapped Completely

After Titan’s termination, it seemed like seven years of dedicated effort might go unrewarded, with digital art and game ideas slipping away into obscurity within a Blizzard archive. Fortunately, Blizzard was determined to rescue what they could from this project, leading to the creation of many Overwatch characters. Elements of the Titan’s Jumper class can still be traced in Tracer, while figures like Ana and Widowmaker may have been influenced by the Ranger class and contributed to the development of several sniper heroes in Overwatch.

Many new characters in the game “Overwatch” are being influenced by themes from Titan, such as Iris (Echo), Phreak (Junker Queen and Hazard), and possibly more down the line. In addition to these characters, it appears that several map concepts and a significant portion of the setting have also been integrated into the game, with the “future Earth in 2070’s” backdrop influencing every aspect of the storyline within “Overwatch”. It’s comforting to know that all the effort put into creating Titan won’t be completely wasted, although it remains unclear if or when Blizzard will revisit the MMORPG genre.

Pressure to Make the Next World of Warcraft Has Frozen Blizzard in Its Tracks

Following the launch, triumph and turbulence of Overwatch, it appears that Blizzard has been too preoccupied to tackle another challenge like the Titan project turned out to be. Although they may not have abandoned MMORPG development altogether, there’s been no indication of a new Blizzard venture in this genre since Titan was closed down. Overwatch 2’s grand unveiling, postponements, and eventual release have left little room for Activision Blizzard leadership to fully focus on such a grandiose project as Titan, but given that they published World of Warcraft, anything short of an MMORPG that redefines the industry could be perceived as underwhelming.

As a dedicated fan, I’ve often pondered if Blizzard has held back from creating their World of Warcraft successor due to concerns about the project’s scale or resource limitations. The reality is, in today’s gaming landscape, even established studios like Blizzard face intense scrutiny when they introduce new properties. Given the company’s cultural missteps that have been revealed recently, this criticism might be especially harsh for them.

Regrettably, it seems unlikely we’ll see a new Blizzard MMORPG in the near future. However, glimpses of Project Titan scattered online have certainly left many fans, including me, feeling let down that we never got to experience it firsthand.

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2025-09-04 21:44