I was having a pretty good day until I read the news that development of World of Darkness is now officially over.

Over on the official CCP website, they've released a statement detailing that production of the game has stopped and that its quality was falling far short of where it needs to be.

CCP Games today announced that they have cancelled the World of Darkness massively multiplayer online (MMO) game project in development in their Atlanta, GA studio.

As a result of the change, 56 employees of the Atlanta studio have lost their jobs. Some team members have been offered roles on other projects inside the company, and CCP has provided severance packages and job placement assistance for those affected.

The remaining team in Atlanta will focus on games in the EVE Universe, which will mark the first time since 2006 that the entirety of CCP will be working on a single universe.

CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson:

The decision to end the World of Darkness MMO project is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make. I have always loved and valued the idea of a sandbox experience set in that universe, and over the years I’ve watched the team passionately strive to make that possible.

I would like to give special thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the World of Darkness MMO a reality, especially the team members affected by this decision. Their considerable contribution to CCP will not be forgotten, and we wish them well.

To our current and former employees and fans of World of Darkness, I am truly sorry that we could not deliver the experience that we aspired to make. We dreamed of a game that would transport you completely into the sweeping fantasy of World of Darkness, but had to admit that our efforts were falling regretfully short. One day I hope we will make it up to you.

Although this was a tough decision that affects our friends and family, uniting the company behind the EVE Universe will put us in a stronger position moving forward, and we are more committed than ever to solidify EVE as the biggest gaming universe in the world.

Considering CCP cut down their staff numbers on World of Darkness several months ago, my gut instinct was the fact that development was in trouble. CCP, for a company that is no where close to having the wealth of Blizzard or Sony Online Entertainment, were trying to undertake something truly original and daring. What CCP were proposing would have proved difficult for any development studio but the pessimist in me thinks that Valkyrie is leeching all available funds as a more likely candidate for success. Maybe we'll hear more on the story in the months to come or better yet, see another studio pick it up.

Mourn with me readers, for today is a sad day.