In what seems like it should be bad news, but is actually probably good news for a lot of eager RPG players and Warhammer fans, THQ has announced that Vigil Games' development of Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millenium Online has shifted from a massively multiplayer online experience to a more traditional RPG with both a single-player and presumably smaller-scale multiplayer component.

“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.”

As the subscription MMO space is looking rather dominated today, we can't help but feel that this decision is for the best. While the thought of the Darksiders developer creating a WH40K RPG is enticing, it is still concerning as to just how Vigil plan to turn a game originally being built for MMO play into a solo experience. Let's hope it's less trying to shoehorn a grind-fest of fetch quests into single scripted narrative and more like turning Star Wars: The Old Republic into Knights of the Old Republic.