It is a dark day for all PC RPG fans out there. Chris Taylor, speaking in IRC channel #fallout recently, has revealed that he, along with 4 or 5 others at Interplay have been fired and their project, TORN, cancelled. TORN as you may know, was an RPG that would incorporate the Fallout SPECIAL system, slated for release this fall. For a few days now, rumors have circulated that the game was being cancelled, but now with the more or less official word from Taylor, it seems that the cancellation is no longer rumor, but reality.
Insider information off of Voodoo Extreme about the cancellation revealed the following:
The reasons are still unknown but it may be related to developers' or managers' plans to port TORN for Omen engine - the one used for Newerwinter Nights and obviously having better stats than Light Tech 3.1. Another confirmation of this explanation is the absence of new TORN screenshots since last E3. I can assure you, all the screenshots published since PR people took that time from E3 Press Kit. Even the official site was updated with concept art only, holding nobody liable for anything. The engine replacement is very painful issue for developers and project promotion. Especially, if it is done 6 months before the release date. Generally, the team couldn't manage to handle the difficulties, and the project was closed.
Having been privaledged enough to see this game at E3, I'm terribly disappointed to hear the news about the game and the programmers, and hope that Black Isle Studios simply made a snafu here.
We'll keep you updated on the story as things develop.
