Wright voiced his concerns over the game's development last Friday in an interview with fan site GateWorld, calling the lack of progress on the project "a terrible shame." Now Cheyenne's senior marketing manager Kevin Balentine addresses those concerns, revealing that Brad Wright is actually a creative consultant on the title who they hadn't been keeping in the loop.

Our official response is that the lights here are still on and the development team is working hard every day to get this game built. Team members are in the office seven days a week to deliver Stargate Worlds. Brad Wright is the Stargate expert and a creative consultant on Stargate Worlds who advises us on the story; unfortunately we had not recently updated him on our progress or the impact from the current global economic crisis, and he was not fully aware of the continuing progress on our game.

Balentine went on to explain that while development had been impacted by the economic downturn, they are seeking outside funding to keep their expenses covered while continuing to work on the game.

"We are currently negotiating several deals that will cover our financial responsibilities and fund the remainder of development. When we sign those deals, you'll hear about it. Until then, we'll keep building Stargate Worlds, because right now, that's the only thing that matters to us."

Let's hope it still matters to the show's fans as well.

Stargate Worlds Dev: 'The Lights Are Still On, Development Continues' [Gamesutra]

Fans were ecstatic when the game was first announced in March of 2007, but since then Cheyenne Mountain have run into huge financial issues, to the point where employees went for several months without being paid. Despite assurances from Cheyenne that the game is still on the way, for Wright and many fans it might just be a case of too little, too late. This was his response when Stargate fan site GateWorld asked him for an update on the game's progress:

"We don't know - and, let's be honest, it should be happening now if it was happening. It's a shame. It's a terrible shame. They had an opportunity and they got our support, and they obviously had significant funding, and it didn't happen. It's kind of a drag for the fans and the time that we invested - what little of it there really was, in comparison to what they did - was still a shame that it was wasted, because it should have happened."

Will Stargate Worlds make it out of the gate, or will the game suffer the same fate as 2005's Stargate SG-1: The Alliance? Do the fans even care enough to play anymore if it does make it to market? Why didn't MGM go with a more established studio for the title? I'm with Brad here. It's a damn shame.

Wright talks Stargate Worlds delay [GateWorld via GamesIndustry.biz]

“From now until launch, everything we do is about polish and fun,” said Stargate Worlds Studio Head Dan Elggren. “We’ve laid a great foundation for the beta testers and their feedback is a vital part of the game development process.”

They'll be adding more testers as time goes on, so don't be shy about signing up for the beta over at register.stargateworlds.com/Registration/. In case you don't get in, these new screens should give you a taste of what you're missing.

STARGATE WORLDS NEEDS NEW RECRUITS FOR CLOSED BETA

New Worlds Await Play Testers in MMO Based on Stargate License

MESA, Ariz. – Oct. 2, 2008 – The wait is almost over for the legions of Stargate and MMO fans waiting to experience the Stargate Worlds Closed Beta test. The gate opens Oct. 15 for the first group of testers.

Stargate fans can pick up their assault rifles and join Op-CORE as they take their first steps in Stargate Worlds. Beta sign ups are live at register.stargateworlds.com/Registration/. More testers will be invited to sign up over time, so it’s not too late to put your name in the selection pool.

“From now until launch, everything we do is about polish and fun,” said Stargate Worlds Studio Head Dan Elggren. “We’ve laid a great foundation for the beta testers and their feedback is a vital part of the game development process.”

The MMO knowledgebase is holding an exclusive Stargate Worlds Beta Key Giveaway, open to its members.

Just sign up with the site (new members aren't excluded, don't fret) and then sit back — nervously fingering your James Spader action figure is optional — until September 20th, when 200 names will be drawn from the inverted pseudo-Egyptian headdress and each awarded one Beta signup key.

If by some chance you are also a member of a Stargate Worlds Command (a gaming clan, in other words) and host a website in mmolecule's Guild Services Open Beta (a sort of clan-management service) you will get a second chance to win.

mmolecule Launches Stargate Worlds Beta Key Giveaway [mmolecule]

Stargate Worlds Closed Beta Registration Now Open

MESA, Ariz. - April 24, 2008 - Stargate Worlds, the massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) from new publisher FireSky, is now taking registrations for closed beta at www.StargateWorlds.com .

The closed beta is an invitation-only test of the upcoming science fiction MMORPG Stargate Worlds. Invitations will be sent out this spring and summer as the Stargate Worlds team ramps up the numbers for testing.

The select group of beta testers will provide feedback to the development team about their game experience while also providing vital insight into the performance of the servers. The closed beta will begin with a small core of gamers and gradually expand as more functionality is added. Beta testers will experience Stargate Worlds alongside the developers who also will be playing the game.

"A game is nothing without players. We're fired up to finally get our game in the hands of the community," said Dan Elggren, Stargate Worlds studio head. "We're at the point where we need external testers to take Stargate Worlds to the finish line. Our devoted fans have helped guide us for more than two years through our forums. Together, we're going to craft a balanced, polished, and most of all, fun game."

Testers will be the first to step through the Stargate for a super-sized sci-fi adventure that will send gamers around a galaxy dipped in liquid awesome. Discover thriving alien worlds, explore ancient civilizations. and tell them all the things they are doing wrong. Smack a clip into your assault rifle and enter Stargate Worlds.

Beta testers will:

. Feel the heat - Master the battlefield using modern tactics and firepower

. Travel instantly - Dial up the Stargate to explore dozens of worlds from ancient civilizations to high tech planets

. Team up - Battle devious and powerful enemies with your friends

. Find the new you - Pick from seven archetypes with unique skills and play styles

. Don't fight it - Simulate translation, repair and sabotage with minigames as your buddies battle it out

. Solve the mystery - A galaxy-spanning story based on the award-winning Stargate television series

Stargate Worlds, based on the award-winning Stargate franchise from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), is scheduled for launch in the winter of 2008. The game is being built using Unreal 3 graphics and Big World's server technology. For more information, visit www.StargateWorlds.com

We have a lot of investors, because our company has all been privately funded with a range of investors, and of course our job is to make sure that they make a lot of money out of this process.

So, Stargate is actually, of course, our first product, and it's the one that's the most visible product, but if you look at what it takes to be a real player in our industry, part of what's made the better companies successful is the fact that they have scale.

Y Control: Joe Ybarra On Cheyenne Mountain's Massive Plans [Gamasutra]

"Stargate Worlds is about instant adventure in an epic, evolving universe," said Stargate Worlds studio head Dan Elggren. "That's what fans and gamers are going to see in this trailer."

Stargate Worlds MMORPG Sneak Peek Coming With Stargate Atlantis Mid-Season Premiere

MESA, Arizona -Dec. 22 2007 - Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment (CME) will give fans a sneak peek of its debut massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) - titled Stargate Worlds® - when the first trailer debuts Jan. 4, 2008, with the mid-season premiere of Stargate AtlantisTM on the SciFi Channel.

Stargate Atlantis returns on Jan. 4 at 10/9 p.m. EST/CST.

Starting Jan. 18, 2008, viewers can enter for a chance to win an opportunity to have their name or likeness incorporated into Stargate Worlds in the Unlock the Gate Sweepstakes.* Viewers are invited to watch Stargate Atlantis each Friday starting on Jan. 18, 2008 at 10/9c on SciFi to retrieve a unique code to enter the sweepstakes.

"We have spent years looking for a quality gaming partner to extend the Stargate franchise beyond television and DVDs," said Travis J. Rutherford, executive vice president, MGM Consumer Products and Location Based Entertainment. "This trailer is an exciting preview of that extension, and we are proud to have the opportunity to debut it as part of the Stargate Atlantis return. Our fans will jump at the chance to have their likeness incorporated in the MMORPG and become a part of Stargate history."

Based on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) Stargate franchise, Stargate Worlds features tactical modern combat vs. science-fiction weapons and instant travel across the galaxy in a story-driven MMORPG.

"The trailer will give gamers and fans a glimpse at what they can expect to find in Stargate Worlds," said Rod Nakamoto, senior vice president of product development, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. "It's a mix of old and new elements that hint at the direction we are taking the franchise."

In Stargate Worlds, gamers will explore new worlds and encounter ancient, alien cultures across an evolving galaxy. While staying true to the spirit of the Stargate franchise to which its fans have become familiar, Stargate Worlds will also introduce new worlds, characters and action to the Stargate universe that are far beyond the scale that can be shown on television.

"Stargate Worlds is about instant adventure in an epic, evolving universe," said Stargate Worlds studio head Dan Elggren. "That's what fans and gamers are going to see in this trailer."

Stargate Worlds is based on Stargate SG-1 and the show's spin off Stargate Atlantis. Stargate SG-1 is the longest-running science fiction series in US television history, airing 213 episodes over 10 years.

"We've got a playable version of the game inside of our building. I'm not prepared to release our beta schedule yet, but I can say that we're going to be releasing the game in the fourth quarter of next year. You can do the math and figure out when our beta program will be."

Stargate Worlds Set to Release Fourth Quarter 2008 [TenTonHammer via Blue's News]

While there's still no confirmation on Richard Dean Anderson's involvement in the project, Cathode Tan directs readers to a Stargate site that's scored some details about the upcoming (and by upcoming we mean years away) MMO. Here's the scoop: The game will have multiple classes, will not be an FPS, a grouping system for missions/quests, a guild system and no death penalty. This is all pre-production/storyboard/conference room talk so how the Stargate MMO shapes up and changes remains to be seen.

Stargate MMO Details [Cathode Tan]
Cheyenne Offers First MMO Details [Gateworld]

Fittingly on the heels of mentioning the debate between using existing IPs for an MMO or creating a new, living, breathing world comes the announcement that Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment reached a deal with MGM Interactive that will bring Stargate SG-1's universe to MMOs in the form of Stargate Worlds. Please, please, please let Richard Dean Anderson be a hero class.

Hear my plea.

Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment Announces License Agreement With MGM Interactive to Develop New Online Video Game Stargate Worlds [Press Release]