| “ | Titan was this massive collection of talent. Some of the most amazing developers that I've ever seen...from all over the world. It was largely not a homegrown team. It was the first time Blizzard pulled a lot of external talent in. | „ |
| ~ Jeremy Wood |
The Project Titan logo
Project Titan was an MMO that was developed and later cancelled by Blizzard Entertainment. Notably, it provided the foundation for Overwatch.
Gameplay[ | ]
Titan was intended to be a next generation MMO[1] and successor to World of Warcraft.[2] Its gameplay was a mix of MMO and FPS elements,[1] along with the "calming vibes" of The Sims.[2] Its setting was a near-future one.[3]
Players would have a home with different furniture, would be able to have a fireplace that would open up into a secret cave, driving in their car, going out into futuristic cities, talk to NPCs, and fight against various factions.[3]
Classes[ | ]
It was planned to feature at least ten playable classes (Jumper, Reaper, Juggernaut, Phoenix, Architect, Assassin, Guardian, Longshot, Spec Ops, Mechanic).[4] The Ranger is another confirmed class.[3] The following information is known about the classes:
- Jumpers used their time travel tech to go back in time to save the world. Jumper designs were influenced by retro pilot jackets and goggles, and had an aviation theme to them.[3]
- Rangers were equipped with a sniper rifle, assault rifle, and a rifle that could turn into a turret.[3]
According to Ryan Denniston (a lead animator), the classes of Titan had a toylike feel to them.[3]
Development[ | ]
Work began on Titan in 2007, with the intent of developing a successor to World of Warcraft.[5] Titan differed from past Blizzard projects in that a lot of external talent was recruited for its development, whereas previous projects had used pre-existing staff.[6] According to some employees interviewed by Jason Schreier, Titan suffered years of mismanagement, and its existence had been one of the reason why Robert Kotick of Activision wanted to own Blizzard. At the time, World of Warcraft subscribers had dropped by more than half, and Kotick saw Titan as "the next big thing." The developers had to deal with technical challenges, shifting art direction, and "an unclear vision from a mercurial director with too much on his plate, according to people familiar with development."[2]
Titan was cancelled in the spring of 2013. In the summer of the same year, Robert Kotick and his chief operating officer, Thomas Tippl, began to apply pressure to Blizzard, asking Michael Morhaime and other Blizzard executives to give a full accounting of how the debacle had happened. When asked for details of this period years later, all three executives refused to comment. The cancellation of Titan led to Activision exerting more control over Blizzard over the following years, driving out throngs of veteran staff as it pushed Blizzard to cut costs and release games faster.[2]
The cancellation of Titan went public in September 2014.[7] After six years, the game's costs had reached $80 million.[2] In 2019, Mike Morhaime described the process as working on two games in parallel, and that in hindsight, neither came together.[8] NDA's (non-disclosure agreements) are in place (as of 2018) that prevent many (former) developers from speaking widely on the game.[6] Reasons cited behind the cancellation include a lack of passion for the project and the trending success of their smaller-scale titles.[9]
Despite the cancellation of Titan, Team 4 intended to return to the scope of the game in the context of Overwatch. A "crawl, walk, run" development plan was formed. Overwatch would be the "crawl," a dedicated PvE would be the "walk," and an MMO would be the "run."[10]
Titan Elements in Overwatch[ | ]
A number of elements in Overwatch have their origins in Titan. These include the following:
Heroes[ | ]
- The Jumper provided the basis for Tracer.[3]
- The Ranger provided the basis for Bastion, Soldier: 76, and Widowmaker, the three heroes getting the class's turret, assault rifle, and sniper rifle respectively.[3]
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Setting[ | ]
Numbani as it appeared in Titan
- Numbani originally appeared in Titan, though was much different in tone. As Overwatch was developed, the story was taken in a different direction, as it became a city of peace and harmony between omnics and humans.[11]
- The idea of a near-future setting was used for Overwatch.[3]
- Titan didn't have hover vehicles, but the idea was implemented in Overwatch.[3]
References[ | ]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 2017-09-22, OVERWATCH: FROM CANCELLED PROJECT TO GAME OF THE YEAR - IGN EXPERT MODE EP. 3. IGN, accessed on 2017-09-23
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2024-09-25, Inside Activision and Blizzard’s Corporate Warcraft. Bloomberg, accessed on 2024-10-02
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Forging Worlds: Stories Behind the Art of Blizzard Entertainment
- ↑ 2017-05-11, BlizzCon 2017: How Overwatch rose from Titan’s failure. Blizzard Watch, accessed on 2017-11-05
- ↑ 2017-02-23, D.I.C.E Summit 2017 | Overwatch | Jeff Caplan (Stream with chat). YouTube, accessed on 2017-03-07
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 2018-05-09, ‘WOW’ Devs On Project Titan, South Park & Accidentally Making an MMO Phenomenon. Wikia, retrieved on 2018-05-13
- ↑ 2014-09-24, Blizzard cancels its next-gen MMO Titan after seven years, Polygon.
- ↑ 2019-06-19, Ex-Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime on why the studio bins 50% of its projects. Eurogamer, accessed on 2019-07-03
- ↑ 2018-04-09, Sad History Of Cancelled Games: Silent Hills, Scalebound, And More. GameSpot, accessed on 2018-11-29
- ↑ 2023-05-19, DIRECTOR’S TAKE – REFLECTING ON THE FUTURE OF OVERWATCH 2. PlayOverwatch, accessed on 2023-05-20
- ↑ Game Informer #81: Designing Overwatch: From Titan to Torbjörn