Cheyenne Mountain Forms, Gains Stargate MMO License

Officials from new, Phoenix, Arizona-based independent developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment have unveiled the first major deal following the company's 2005 formation, announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with MGM Interactive to create a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) named Stargate Worlds. The license from the Stargate SG-1 television series was apparently signed in September of last year, with the developer finalizing its development and management teams in the interim. The former is led by industry veteran and original Electronic Arts founding member Joe Ybarra, who has worked on games as diverse as The Bard’s Tale, Age of Empires II and The Matrix Online. Overall, the company claims a management team that has shipped more than 80 titles between them, including former Blizzard art director Stu Rose and veteran pen and paper and video game designer Chris Klug. No release date or platform announcement for the game has yet been made. Joe Ybarra, vice president of product development for Cheyenne, commented of the announcement: "Today's MMO market challenges developers in many ways. Creating a product that separates itself from the pack requires a unique combination of two elements: a superior game concept implemented by a superior development team. Partnering with MGM Interactive and the Stargate creative team gives us the first, and our team's experience and depth ensures the second. Together we look forward to creating the world's best MMORPG." The Stargate MMO announcement comes just days after the alleged cancellation of console title Stargate SG-1: The Alliance, according to unconfirmed reports appearing via its developer, Australian company Perception, after the title was dropped by European publisher JoWood and was then attached to publisher Namco, but to no definitive conclusion.