38 Studios' director on leaked MMO trailer

Yesterday, Kotaku got a hold of the trailer for the MMO project that was being developed by the now-defunct 38 Studios, Project Copernicus. On his personal blog, former 38 Studios creative director Steve Danuser talked about the trailer and how it fit in with the game's development.

"This teaser video was a work in progress, from the illustrations to the game footage to the audio. It was a rough cut to get the pacing right; pretty much every asset would have been reworked or replaced by the time it went final," said Danuser.

"The finished teaser was intended to be released at the time of the MMO's announcement. It likely would have been accompanied by a video of gameplay footage, or possibly with a live hands-on demo depending on when and where it was first revealed."

The loss of 38 Studios and Project Copernicus is still fresh for Danuser and he laments the chances the trailer represents.

"Seeing this video posted online gives me a mix of emotions. On the one hand, I love this teaser and am very proud of the work it represents. On the other hand, it makes me sad to be faced once more by what could have been," added Danuser.

"Even though it's really cool, it would have been spectacular by the time we were done with it. I wish you could see it with the same context we did on the inside of the studio, through the eyes of a passionate team that wanted to make something really special. I still miss that world something fierce."