Warhammer Online to shut down this December

I'm pretty surprised by the news that Warhammer Online is scheduled for closure.

I'm pretty surprised by the news that Warhammer Online is scheduled for closure. Mostly that's because I'd largely forgotten about it. Er, whoops, that can't have helped matters. Mythic's fantasy MMO had been quietly existing in the background, after a promising 2008 launch, and a subsequent and continual decline in subscribers. Now, it's due to end this December, with its creators citing the end of their licensing deal with Games Workshop.

"We here at Mythic have built an amazing relationship working with Games Workshop creating and running Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning over the last 8 years," announce the Warhammer Team. "Unfortunately, as with all licensing deals they do eventually come to end and on December 18th, 2013 we will no longer be operating Warhammer Online." Already, Mythic have disabled the purchase of three-month game time codes and auto-renewals, ensuring players aren't paying for time beyond the closure date.

Producer Carrie Gouskos provides a more heartfelt assessmentof the end, writing, "some of the most talented people in gaming made Warhammer possible. They worked insanely long hours, and they put their heart and soul into trying to make this beautiful IP a living and breathing universe."

Meanwhile, other projects hope to continue the spirit of Mythic's history. Former Warhammer Online lead designer Mark Jacobs is currently working on Camelot Unchained, a post-apocalyptic fantasy MMO that raised over $2 million on Kickstarter.

Thanks, Gamasutra.