Codemasters announced today in a terse press release that development of their MMORPG Dragon Empires has been discontinued. "Technical issues" were sighted as the reason for the game's cancellation. Codemasters' emphasized that the closing of the Dragon Empires project only means a temporary retreat from the massively multiplayer online gaming market, and for what it's worth, the Dragon Empires Website and forums will remain open for the time being.

In Dragon Empires, the ambition of the game would be to don the guise of a unique character and enter a tumultuous world of war, betrayal and adventure. Select from three different races and fifteen classes, and through experience, grow and add to your skills as you become more and more influential in the hierarchy of the Dragon Empires. Now, those anticipating these features will have to look for their MMORPG kicks elsewhere.

Most of the employees formerly working on Dragon Empires will be transferred to other projects, meaning that few people will be let go because of the project's discontinuation. Dragon Empires marks the fifth MMORPG casualty this year. The other four are (or were) Ultima X, Warhammer Online, True Fantasy Live Online, and Mythica. It's indicative of what a crowded and competitive market the MMORPG genre has become, soon to become more crowded when The Matrix Online and World of Warcraft launch later this year (or early next year).