‘Damn Shame’ — Canceled Warhammer Horus Heresy MMO Was ‘Shaping Up Nicely’

The canceled Warhammer Horus Heresy MMO was “shaping up nicely,” according to an insider who worked on the project. The Horus Heresy, a pivotal event in the Warhammer 40,000 timeline, depicts the galaxy-spanning civil war between loyalist and traitor Space Marines. This conflict saw the Emperor of Mankind finally defeat his Chaos-fueled primarch son, Horus Lupercal, and save the Imperium of Man from destruction. However, the victory came at a terrible cost: the near-death Emperor was interred on the Golden Throne, sustained by the daily sacrifice of thousands of psykers.

The untitled Warhammer Horus Heresy MMO was developed by Jackalyptic Games, a first-party NetEase studio led by MMO specialist Jack Emmert, known for his work on City of Heroes. Development lasted at least two-and-a-half years before NetEase abruptly pulled funding as part of a broader pullback from Western video game development. Jackalyptic Games subsequently shut down.

Recently, an animator who worked on the game shared work-in-progress clips on social media, showcasing Space Marine movement and bolter fire. These visuals prompted Graham McNeill, a prolific Warhammer novelist and author of several Horus Heresy books, to confirm his involvement in the project. “I did some writing on this game,” McNeill tweeted. “Characters, missions, scripts, etc. — and it was shaping up really nicely. Damn shame…”

In December of last year, MP1st published a series of images from the game, revealing what appeared to be Prospero, the homeworld of the Thousand Sons. This world was central to one of the most famous battles of the Horus Heresy — the Burning of Prospero.

While there are many Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer fantasy video games, the Horus Heresy remains an untapped setting. The recent clips and images from the canceled game have sparked renewed interest among fans, who believe a Horus Heresy game could be a massive success.

  • “Surprised no one has made a first person shooter of the Horus Heresy. So many to choose from, Isstvan, Calth, Prospero, Siege of Terra. Would probably sell just as well as Space Marine 2,” a fan suggested.
  • “It's wild seeing stuff from this cancelled Horus Heresy game with how good it looks, they even had some of Prospero built,” user @DumbRobotStuff commented. “I'd hope this project gets reconsidered with how successful Space Marine 2 is.”

An intriguing possibility is that a Horus Heresy video game could tie into the phenomenally popular Space Marine 2, which featured the Thousand Sons as the main Chaos Space Marine enemy. A Horus Heresy game could explore the Burning of Prospero, allowing fans to experience how the Traitor Legion became the force it is in Space Marine 2.

Video games are often canceled for various reasons, and there have been several canceled Warhammer MMOs over the years. However, the current era seems to be a golden age for Warhammer 40,000 video games, with titles like Total War: Warhammer 40,000, Dawn of War 4, and Space Marine 3 on the horizon. It's possible that the Horus Heresy could find its place in this growing landscape, especially considering the rich narrative and visual spectacle it offers. After all, it's what the Emperor would want.