MMO From WoW Creator Won’t Be Released — NetEase Drops Another Studio

Fantastic Pixel Castle, a studio funded by NetEase Games, will cease operations on November 17, 2025. The decision was announced by team lead Greg Street, who is known for his work on World of Warcraft and within Riot Games’ MMO division.

“Fantastic Pixel Castle will close on November 17. Although there may still be a chance to secure funding after that date, it will hinge on how many team members remain. While we would prefer to continue developing the game, our immediate priority is to support our developers in finding new roles — whether at an independent Fantastic Pixel Castle 2.0 or with other outstanding (and, hopefully, stable) game and technology companies.”

The studio was founded in 2023 and had been working on the MMO Ghost, but NetEase stopped funding the project and withdrew its partner status. The team searched for investors and a publisher to continue development but was unsuccessful. According to Street, the possibility of reviving the project still exists, but depends on how many employees choose to stay on.

NetEase is scaling back investments in overseas studios, and similar moves have already affected other divisions. As Street noted, the industry is currently “extremely challenging” — even substantial investment does not guarantee an MMO’s success.

Source: iXBT.games