Expect plenty of necking in the World of Darkness MMOG

If you’re looking for ruthless politics, a bio-chemically enhanced Capsule to keep your life-force mortally intact, and 45,000 untrusty strangers, the perfect place to get lost in is EVE Online - CCP’s bodacious space based MMOG. It’s one of the few non high-fantasy MMOGs that defines a true alternative, a unique option compared to the DIKU inspired MMOGs like EverQuest and World of Warcraft.

Many have tried, but very few non high-fantasy based MMOGs truly succeed. EVE Online is the exception and CCP wants to do it again, this time by turning you into a Vampire. Get ready for a World of Darkness. A leaked CCP financial document dated July 2008 sheds the very first tidbits and macabre therein for you to sink your fangs into.

The setting for this game shares the same history, culture and geography as modern day Earth. On the surface, the inhabitants of this fictional world live as we do; yet here, the shadows are deeper, the nights are darker, and the fog is thicker. But most importantly, monsters exist. Beneath the thin film of civilization, Vampires thrive on the blood of humans, Werewolves prowl for carnage in the darkest forests, and Mages scheme to bend reality to their will.

In the World of Darkness, you are the monster, struggling to remember the memory of your humanity while you struggle against the evil that lurks within us all. CCP and White Wolf are now hard at work in pre-production on the World of Darkness the persistent world. Given the World of Darkness legacy, its large fan base, and proven appeal to both genders, we estimate the subscriber potential of this product to be two to three times that of EVE Online, without competing head on with CCP's existing products thus enabling wider total appeal.

Screens above from Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines - more horrific neck-biting action available in the file library!
I'm flesh and blood, but not human. I haven't been human for fifty levels and I need to repair my coffin. What's your story? From the text above it sounds like humans won’t be playable but screams of “spawn more humans” will surely echo in back alleys. Don’t tell me you want to play a Mage or a Werewolf!

The leaked document also states the World of Darkness MMOG is due for release in 2010, which seems fairly quick. Don’t rule out a beta. Never heard about this project before? Don’t worry, it’s enshrouded in mystery and rarely discussed. It all started back in November 2006 when CCP merged with US company White Wolf. Other video games based on the World of Darkness franchise include the fantastic Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines published by Activision.