Another delay has been announced for the upcoming MMO The Chronicles of Spellborn from developer Spellborn international. It's usually a bad sign when the game developer has the same name as their game, indicating it's their first attempt and they don't have a high level of confidence they will later be expanding into novel areas. Delays in MMOs are really the norm these days though and it's almost never a bad thing for further polishing and testing to go into a product before it is shipped. The delay is being blamed on a "renouned MMOG publisher" picking up the title to distribute in the US, but they were quick to point out they are going to ultilize the time well for development tweaks.

Here is the official announcement made today:

"Berlin, 10th of April 2008: After a first review of the beta tests of The Chronicles of Spellborn, which began at the beginning of March, the Dutch developers have decided to make a revision to the server infrastructure. At this time, the game-play mechanics and graphics of the game client have already matched the high demand for quality. These have been mostly completed and will now be thoroughly optimized and polished. In reworking the tools and the network code, Spellborn NV now wants to ensure that the flow and performance of gameplay live up to the general expectations. At the same time, the developer will lay the foundation to allow for quick expansion of the game, with new content and updates, once it is released.

Meanwhile, Frogster Interactive has found a renowned MMOG publisher to be a potential partner for the release of Spellborn in the USA and has already signed a letter of intent. For a successful market introduction, the potential licensor will require a lead time of six months at least. As a consequence, both Frogster and the developers of Spellborn NV have decided to initiate the revision of the server architecture and to use this time to prepare for a coordinated worldwide release of the game. Considering the new strategy, Frogster assumes a launch of The Chronicles of Spellborn in autumn 2008. Nevertheless, the developer will continue the current closed beta tests for the time being. Just yesterday, Spellborn NV has expanded the circle of accredited testers by one hundred committed members of the community to balance and optimize the gameplay even more."