Blizzard’s axed MMO Project Titan reportedly “cost the company $80 million,” and was like Animal Crossing or The Sims meets Overwatch
Project Titan was lined up to be Blizzard’s “next big thing” in the early 2010s, but the MMO met an ill fate when it was canceled years into development – after costing millions of dollars and any potential work on other projects along the way.
Journalist and author Jason Schreier discusses Blizzard’s scrapped project in a recent podcast with the Limit Break Network. “It cost the company $80 million, as well as six or seven years of opportunity costs; potential other projects that were lost along the way,” Schreier reveals. “It was just a debacle for the company as a whole.” The situation “said to Bobby Kotick that the promise of ‘You just let us cook and we’ll make you hits’ is no longer true.”
Ultimately, high expectations killed Titan – or at least contributed heavily to its demise. It was never born from Blizzard’s honest desire to create another beloved, timeless gem – instead, its development came about in hopes of resulting in a game that could manage to rival World of Warcraft before another studio’s title did just that. The axed project, which was said to not be a subscription-based MMO, certainly would’ve stood out as unique if anything.
According to Schreier, players would take control of a character in Titan by day and live out a life sim-esque experience much like the one found in Animal Crossing or The Sims. From fishing to photography, and even a full-time job, they could partake in various cozy activities before fighting crime by night as superheroes. Not all of Titan was lost, however – from its ashes rose Overwatch. While it isn’t a cozy life sim, it definitely features heroes.
Various designs for superhero classes were carried over from Titan to Overwatch, including the likes of both Tracer and Widowmaker. The hero shooter went on to launch successfully in 2016 – more than can be said for its dead and buried predecessor. As a fan of all series akin to Animal Crossing and The Sims myself, I can’t say I’m not disappointed to hear what Project Titan could’ve been – but I also can’t say I’m surprised that it didn’t work out.