Company: Microsoft Game Studios
Status: Canceled
Release Date: Never Released
System: PC
Lifespan: 10 months
April 25, 2003:
Microsoft announces Mythica as “a revolutionary online PC game that uses new Private Realms Technology to merge the depth and sophistication of a single-player game with the social experience of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game”[1] and claim the game will launch only a year after being announced. Being developed by an internal team at Microsoft Game Studios, Mythica was a Norse Mythology based MMORPG.
May 13, 2003:
Mythica makes its debut at E3 2003 releasing both a trailer[2] and game play footage[3] showing that the game is much further along than people had anticipated.
December 22, 2003:
Developer Mythic files a lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation for trademark infringement and unfair competition[4] citing that the Mythica name is much too close to their company name and Mythic by design is far too similar to Dark Age of Camelot. CEO of Mythic Entertainment, Mark Jacobs, gave an interview the day of the lawsuit filing stating that it was "about our company being able to use its federally registered trademark" and not a cash grab or way to get Microsoft to stop working on Mythica.[5]
February 12, 2004:
After much silence from the Mythica team, Microsoft announces they are canceling Mythica giving a brief statement saying: "After careful evaluation of the MMORPG landscape, MGS has decided to stream-line its portfolio, making fewer investments in this genre."[6] Chris Lye, Product Manager at Microsoft, gave an interview the day after the announcement reaffirming that the decision was made based on their assessment of the MMO landscape and assured it wasn't because of the Mythic lawsuit.[7]