Cancelled Warhammer Online Just Added Major Update
While the Warhammer name is still massive in the gaming community, you'll be forgiven if you've forgotten about Warcraft Online. Considering Mythic Entertainment's MMO has been dead and buried, it's a strange turn of events that it's just added a massive update so many years after the plug was pulled.
It should've been easy. Take a franchise with as much success as Warhammer and put it online. However, as The Sims Online already proved, it's never that simple. Although Warhammer Online sold over a million copies and peaked with a massive 800,000 player base shortly after its 2008 release, the numbers tumbled in a matter of months - meaning the game was put out to pasture in 2013.
What is the new Warhammer Online update?
Even though we said RIP to Warhammer Online what seems like an eternity ago, it's continued on a private server since 2014. Return of Reckoning has been bubbling away since 2014, and now, it's just added a huge update with two cities that never made it into the official release.
A new video shows off two capital cities that Mythic had reportedly planned, but were never able to release. Alongside the Dwarf home city of Karaz-A-Karak, there's the Greenskin home city of Karak Eight Peaks. Casting your mind back, they were two of four capital cities that first appeared in the game's beta, but were taken out before launch. Instead, there were just two capital cities of Altdorf and The Inevitable City.
In a welcome return to form, Karaz-A-Karak and Karak Eight Peaks are brought back to Warhammer Online in style. The update was apparently a labour of love that took volunteers thousands of hours to complete. These faithful recreations were painstakingly crafted from what Mythic had originally put in over a decade ago.
What else does the Warhammer Online update add?
These from-scratch builds also add lower levels that were never seen in the Warhammer Online beta. As well as adding old dungeons, the Reckoning team has grand plans to resurrect the horror-themed Land of the Dead expansion that was a fan-favourite of the OG.
In an interview with PC Gamer last year, those behind Reckoning explained how they boosted their concurrent player capacity from just 1,000 to 4,000. Alongside realm v realm sieges, there's a Ranked mode, and even Twitch loot drop events. All of this combines with a passionate player base who presumably think of Mythic's game with fond memories.
Of course, Warhammer Online only exists because of fans. Added to this, it's in a legally grey area. Developers like Nintendo are notorious for slapping takedown notices on even the smallest fan project, but here's hoping Mythic leaves the Reckoning team alone.
