What Really Happened to Blizzard's Canceled Survival Game 'Odyssey'?

Engine changes are almost always catastrophic, and the development team found themselves with the herculean task of trying to bend Synapse to their will. This lead to a reliance on Unreal Engine for prototyping, only to then trash what they had built. All this inefficiency was the reason why 'Odyssey' spent six years in development with nothing to show for it.

Ironically, some team members were holding out hope that Microsoft's acquisition would allow them to return to Unreal Engine. However as fate would have it, the game was so far from release that it might as well have been a concept in discussion.

Estimates for a release date

were floating around 2026, and that was being optimistic. Inevitably, the realization dawned that Synapse simply wasn't well suited for the project, leading to the cancellation of 'Odyssey', as

reported by The Verge

.

More than just being about the death of a game, it also serves as a glimpse into the chaotic world of development, where the fight between artistic vision and technical feasibility never ends. Maybe 'Odyssey' would have turned out to be the greatest Blizzard IP; maybe not. The only thing that's certain is that the development strategy employed in its infancy placed it on a doomed path.

Still, we cannot forget the people behind this project, who have now been shown the door. This year has already begun in the same fashion as last year, which was absolutely horrendous for the gaming industry. Now, more than ever, companies need to be accountable for decisions to lay off thousands of employees. This trend cannot and should not be allowed to go on any longer.