Battle Cruise over?

Complex open-ended space sim Battlecruiser 3000AD has had a torrid history. It was originally released incomplete and bug-ridden by Take 2 back in 1996, leading to a lengthy legal battle that saw designer Derek Smart taking back the rights to the game, giving it away for free over the internet and then going on to release two fixed versions of the game through various publishers. A new game, Battlecruiser Millenium, is currently in development, as well as a multiplayer version called Galactic Command Online, but it now looks like that will be the end of the road for the ageing warship.

Developers 3000AD have announced that the "Tactical Engagement" add-on for Millenium has been canned, and that they have instead licensed the Serious engine from Croatian developers Croteam, the company behind the highly-tipped "Serious Sam". Derek explains that "the move forward from Battlecruiser signals the creation of a new franchise which, while remaining on the high end and cutting edge of technology, will cater to a wider audience and provide the opportunity to branch out into different territory".