Atari Developing Neverwinter Nights MMO??? News

At Atari's behest, Cryptic Studios may be developing an MMO based on the Neverwinter Nights universe if the web's rumour mill is to be believed, with early indications pointing to a 2011 release window for the alleged title.

A report by Variety, which cites "Sources", is suggesting that Atari's plans for a Neverwinter Nights MMO were the main reason behind its acquisition of Cryptic Studios last year (the MMO specialist is currently developing Champions Online and Star Trek Online).

If true, this may represent the last throw of the dice for publisher Atari, which recently sold off its European arm to Namco Bandai and now only has two studios under its US awnings. The company has been experiencing fiscal difficulties for a number of years.

While BioWare's original Neverwinter Nights title from 2002 carried an online multiplayer component for up to 75 gamers that could arguably described as 'massive', the first game to carry the Neverwinter Nights name was a 1991 MMO based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe. It ran for six years over AOL and was the first MMO to display graphics, with servers capable of supporting 500 players by 1995.