Monolith founder Jason Hall has had to shelve plans to resurrect classic 1997 shooter Blood. Writing on The Postmortem, Hall said he’s received an “unusually short” email from Blood rights holder Atari pouring ice on the project.

“Obviously, I am disappointed. Particularly given Atari’s continued encouragement along with the amount of time, effort and correspondence that I have put into this venture,” he said.

“The only thing that can be done at this point is to wait and see what happens with Atari, and hope that they find themselves in a position and mindset to allow my efforts to continue on this matter at a future date.”

Atari said it was reluctant to proceed under the “current circumstances”, which probably refers to the US arm’s bankruptcy and detachment from its French parent.

Blood was Monolith Productions’ first game, before the F.E.A.R. series, and although not as well known as runaway successes like DOOM, is considered one of the classics of 2.5D shooters.

Source: The Postmortem via Polygon

Remember Blood? The 1997 release was the first game from F.E.A.R. developer Monolith, in collaboration with the legendary 3D Realms, and has a deserved cult following. Monolith founder and former CEO Jason Hall certainly remembers it, and wants to bring it back, in all its glory, for modern platforms – PC and beyond. The developer has opened a verified thread on Blood fansite The Postmortem, calling for feedback and suggestions from those with fond memories of the gore-splattered shooter. Hall has secured all the necessary legal rights to produce and release the updated version, and is doing it out of the goodness of his heart – it’ll be free, so he won’t make a return on the investment.

Source: The Postmortem