Due for release in the first quarter of 2008, Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising looked all set to go--the game had been in closed beta testing, and been previewed in the gaming press. However, developer Perpetual Entertainment has made the shock announcement that it is suspending work on the title, which was announced in March 2005 and originally scheduled for release at the end of that year.

　　A notice on the game's official Web site from president Chris McKibbin confirms that development of the title is now on "indefinite hold." The reasons given were that the team felt that "the development team established some very lofty and ambitious goals when the initial work was started on the game. While we are truly proud of and pleased with what we have created in Gods & Heroes, we also realize that achieving the level of quality and polish that we are committed to will take a significant investment."

　　Perpetual Entertainment is also currently working on Star Trek Online, and states a decision has been made to restructure and focus on this title, abandoning Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising for the foreseeable future.

　　Back in December last year, Perpetual reported layoffs, although the company maintained at the time that these were part of the natural process of a big-budget project. It is unknown whether the shelving of Gods & Heroes will bring with it more downsizing.

　　Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is a PC massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in ancient Rome, with gamers playing a hero tasked with saving the city by controlling mythical monsters and recruiting warriors.