Cryptic gives up on console Champions

Cryptic Studios boss Jack Emmert has finally laid the Xbox 360 version of Champions Online to rest.

"100 per cent of our focus is on making the current PC product the best it can be. There are no current plans for a console version of Champions," Emmert posted in a forum thread about the departure of producer Bill Roper from the project.

It seems likely the kibosh has been put on the planned console versions of Cryptic's other game, Star Trek Online, too.

In October last year, Star Trek Online producer Craig Zinkievich told Eurogamer that Cryptic's console ambitions were being frustrated by the platform holders' failure to understand the market.

"I'll be honest, the business part of bringing MMOs to consoles has been really sticky," he said. "Trying to get Sony, trying to get Microsoft to really understand MMOs; really understand what needs to happen for MMOs, and then figure out all the business aspects of those games, has really been a difficulty for all of the MMO developers."

Champions and Star Trek were already up and running on 360 at that point, he said.

On a happier note, Champions Online has been graced with a free expansion this week which adds the game's first new zone, bayou city Vibora Bay.

Aimed at level 37-40 players, Vibora Bay fleshes out the endgame content with an epic storyline based around a fallen angel and a rising of occult forces, new enemies, new powers, new perks and new group Lair called Therakiel's Temple.

Revelation was originally planned to be a paid expansion, but Cryptic decided to waive the cost of the download after getting a negative reaction from the game's community.