Smiling Gator Cancels MMO, Closes Doors

Florida-based game developer Smiling Gator Production, which was founded in late 2003 by former executives and staff from AOL/Time Warner and Link Simulation and Training, has announced that it has canceled its Source Engine-powered PC MMO Twilight War: After the Fall and has shut down, following the expiry of the company's initial funding. An official message on Smiling Gator's webpage explains: "Our committed funds have run dry and we were not successful in the hunt for additional investment. The websites and email will be disabled in the coming days, so this is our last announcement before we shut down for good." The company's MMO/FPS hybrid, Twilight War, gained some notoriety in late 2004 when it was announced as one of the first public licensors of Valve Software's Source Engine. At the time, Gabe Newell, Valve's CEO, commented of the announcement: "We are eager to see the Source engine used for an MMRPG by Smiling Gator Productions. The ability to render realistic environments and create compelling characters with true-to-life emotional expressions will be a great innovation for one of the industry's most promising genres." Unfortunately, it seems that this will now not be possible, and Smiling Gator's farewell message to the users already anticipating Twilight War ends: "Thanks again to our fantastic forums community for all the support and contributions! We hope you find another project and give them the devotion and incisive comments we've enjoyed reading for the past 17 months."