Report: Perpetual Entertainment Lays Off 35, Delays Gods & Heroes

San Francisco-based Perpetual Entertainment has allegedly laid off thirty-five of its employees, citing budget issues related to a delay of its MMORPG Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, according to an anonymous former employee.

The delay of Gods and Heroes' release was believed to be an estimated six-to-ten months, and the layoffs are purported to be a cost-saving measure to accomodate this increase in development time. The thirty-five terminations also include several members of Perpetual's other upcoming game, Star Trek Online.

Perpetual Entertainment was formed in 2004, when it secured the exclusive worldwide rights from Viacom Consumer Products to develop and publish a massively multiplayer online game based on the Star Trek franchise. In March of 2006, Perpetual entered into an agreement with Sony Online Entertainment to co-publish another MMORPG, Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising.

Today's terminations come despite at least twenty job openings currently posted on Perpetual's website, and despite Korean-based Gravity Co., Ltd.'s May 22 purchase of 19.2 million shares of the company, for an estimated $9 million dollars. The company previously received multiple rounds of venture capital investment.

[THWIP]

"Perpetual" means "unending, continuing forever.....yet they are DELAYING the game, and sending employees home. Something tells me the "perpetual" part of this company is about to come to an abrupt END. :\