Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium  has ditched the MMO direction and is going the single-player route, as announced today in a press release by THQ. Due to the lack of funding, the planned MMO was canned in favor of a more manageable single player game with multiplayer features.

“As previously announced, we have been actively looking for a business partner for the game as an MMO. However, based on changing market dynamics and the additional investment required to complete the game as an MMO, we believe the right direction for us is to shift the title from an MMO to a premium experience with single and multiplayer gameplay, robust digital content and community features,” said Brian Farrell, President and CEO of THQ Inc. “Because we believe strongly in the high-quality and vast creative work that is in production, this is the right decision for both our portfolio and for gamers devoted to this powerful property.”

“We are genuinely excited about the new direction that THQ is taking with Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium, and we are sure that this will be a great addition to the ever growing stable of authentic and engaging Warhammer 40,000 video games,” said Jon Gillard, Head of Licensing forGames Workshop.

It sounds fine to me, as I absolutely loved Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. Unfortunately, the change comes with a price, as 118 employees (79 from Vigil Games, and 39 from Relic Entertainment) have been let go due to the budget cuts.

I wish these guys good luck, and I hope they get picked up elsewhere.