Warhammer Online delayed again

By Ellie Gibson Published 26 March, 2008

MMO won't be out till autumn now.

Electronic Arts has announced that PC MMORPG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning won't be released until the autumn.

News of the delay was revealed this morning by producer Jeff Hickman. He was speaking at a press conference in Paris attended by the editor of Eurogamer's brand new MMO channel.

It's not the first time the game's release date has been pushed back. Warhammer Online was originally due out in Q1 of this year, but that was shifted to Q2. At the time, EA Mythic boss Mark Jacobs said the delay would allow the studio to "invest additional time and effort in implementation and polish to make WAR great".

It seems even more investment is required, as Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is now due for a "fall" release.

Expect a full report on how it's shaping up soon.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (20) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ZuluHero #1 4 years ago

    FFS

  • anomagnus #2 4 years ago

    GODDAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Sigh, i cant keep getting my heart broke like this..... Why Warhammer, WHY??????????????

    This has ruined my day.

  • Kami #3 4 years ago

    Warhammer Online needs to be out before WoW's Wrath of the Lich King. This isn't good news for that...

  • Headache #4 4 years ago

    Good. From the videos and screenshots I've seen it really does look like it needs more time spent on it. Animation routines as well haven't been looking the best either.

    As for releasing against Wrath of the Lich King, it would probably be in their best interests to release WAR a couple of months after WotLK surely. Beforehand and you'll get people migrating back over to WoW to try out the new content, afterwards and you'll probably find that people get bored of the new content after a while (see Burning Crusade) and are then ready for something new.

    I'm happy to wait until it's good and ready, FFXI and WoW stole enough of my life as it was, I know WAR will probably do the same when it is released so I'm in no hurry to spend a few months living in the dark again!

  • anomagnus #5 4 years ago

    They really are going to have to stop f**king around now

    I understand they want to get the product in a good a shape as possible, but they need to start balancing that with actually getting the product OUT.

    Don't get me wrong, i cannot wait for this game, but they're doing more damage now than good. As it is, AoC will be out soon, and they're going to be hitting very close to WotlK.

    Whatever the hell they're doing, they need to re-evaluate it.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/08 @ 10:11

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #6 4 years ago

    It's better then releasing now and you all screaming 'omg it's SO buggy and crap'

  • Hypacharry #7 4 years ago

    It's nowhere near ready, this was their only sensible option.

    However, to delay again would put them a bit too close to the probable late year release of WOTLK and they will drown in the great flood if they do end up releasing anywhere near that.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/08 @ 10:26

  • Dizzy #8 4 years ago

    I am in the beta.... the game is good but they do need some work on the animations and graphics. I am sure they don't wanne fuck up the chances of the game because they released early and sloppy. They will be going against LOTRO:Moria and WoW:WotLK. Some killer competition there.

  • beedyG #9 4 years ago

    I agree with headache and Kremlik it's better for it to arrive late and polished rather than sooner and buggy.
    Plus since this is the first MMO that's grabbed my interest (WOW just doesn't appeal) I don't mind them releasing it in the autumn or winter (don't want to lose my summer evenings).
    If WAR launches well and is popular, does that mean we're more likely to get a 40K MMO - that's the one I've been waiting for since MMOs started.

  • Lemming81 #10 4 years ago

    I'm actually sort of glad. I'm really looking forward to this game, but I looked at some of the screenshots yesterday and, tbh...the models look like arse. Seen the latest one with the 'war hydra'? It looks like cardboard.

  • the_inchworm #11 4 years ago

    Well, so be it. This one has me piqued. On the one hand, I love the original Warhammer world and an MMO in it should be awesome. On the other, their sense of humour seems to be overshadowing the actual product, and the classes seem to be so heavily combat focused that it makes me worry. Can anyone in the beta tell me if the balance is right within the game world? Problems like animations are eminently fixable. A flawed class system or game universe are not.

  • Gurgeh #12 4 years ago

    "Plus since this is the first MMO that's grabbed my interest (WOW just doesn't appeal) "

    That's a shame because it's pretty much a direct copy of WoW with the focus switched to faction PvP rather than PvE raiding as an end-game - and yes it's ironic that the WAR MMO is copying WoW MMO when Warcraft borrowed / plaigerised so much from Warhammer in the first place.

    What WAR really needs to sort out is the combat system. Yes, some animations are not up to scratch, but fundamentally the combat is dull and that's just not right.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/08 @ 10:54

  • Dizzy #13 4 years ago

    >Can anyone in the beta tell me if the balance is right within the game world?

    Well we don't know since all classes have not been available at the same time :)

    But I would say that class balance seems to be TOP priority for the WAR team. That being said... no CC in PvP (unlike WoW) is pretty weird at first but oh so nice. At least I get to play my character unlike in WoW where I am usually sheeped, stunned, feared or confused.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/08 @ 11:09

  • Crovax20 #14 4 years ago

    Ha, well I'm a closed beta tester for WAR. So I don't mind :p

    Oh and for some other folks who are also in beta.. you might want to read NDA. You are allowed to say you are beta testing it and thats about all you can say.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/08 @ 11:55

  • ZuluHero #15 4 years ago

    BeedyG: If WAR launches well and is popular, does that mean we're more likely to get a 40K MMO - that's the one I've been waiting for since MMOs started."

    Agreed! Its a shame they didn't try and beat blizzard to the punch (and the inevitable Starcraft Online) with 40k first though. 40k could have pretty much monopolised that gap in the market...
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/08 @ 12:37

  • Gaol #16 4 years ago

    "What WAR really needs to sort out is the combat system. Yes, some animations are not up to scratch, but fundamentally the combat is dull and that's just not right. "

    Guess I don't need to break NDA as Gurgeh already did it accurately :o

  • Gurgeh #17 4 years ago

    "Oh and for some other folks who are also in beta.. you might want to read NDA. You are allowed to say you are beta testing it and thats about all you can say. "

    If EA put as much effort into improving Warhammer as they do into clamping down on NDA breaks on teh Interweb then the future will be good for this game.

    I have never seen so many threads get deleted from MMO boards as when people start talking about the state of Warhammer Online... which tells you all you need to know.

  • deaner #18 4 years ago

    Not surprised. I've been beta testing this and it's really unfinished.

    In fact - given how much time they've been spending on it, I was shocked at how unfinished it is!

    Still, has some nice bits and bobs. But Blizzard are already eyeing those I'm sure!

  • AOFanboi #19 4 years ago

    Doesn't this push the release to after Age of Conan? Not that the games target the same players though...

    edit: @deaner: Wasn't the earlier attempt canceled and the license passed to a different developer to implement from scratch? Can explain the perceived long development time.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/08 @ 19:26

  • craziii #20 4 years ago

    if the game is unfinished like deaner says, then it should be delay for as long as it takes. look at vanguard, unfinished games these days dies in the blink of an eye.