JoWooD cancels Stargate SG-1 development deal

Austrian publisher JoWooD has announced that Perception, the Australian developer that has been working on Stargate SG-1: The Alliance, has been pulled off the title - with a full review of the project set to follow.

The game, which is based on the MGM TV series Stargate SG-1 - itself based on the successful science fiction movie Stargate - was due for release later this year, and a distribution deal had been signed with Namco for North America.

However, according to JoWooD CEO Albert Seidl, "the title in its current form... does satisfy neither our quality requirements nor the fans expectations. We will not release anything that does not do justice to this well known license."

"In recent months we have invested a lot of time and resources in helping Perception finish the development," he continued, "but we now simply have lost confidence in their ability to finish this project in time and sufficient quality."

The rights to the title and its source code will now revert to JoWooD - and the publisher today claimed that it is seeking "repayment of their investment in development and further expenses."

JoWooD may seek to continue the existing title with a different developer, but that's not the only option under consideration, according to executive producer Michael Paeck.

"We are not prepared to release anything but a top quality title," he commented. "Fans of the show as well as gamers would not accept anything less. There are several options to consider, among them potentially moving to next-gen consoles for the title."