We have two last videos to share with you - some full playthroughs of our most recent Blue Shard missions. They are, of course, unfinished, but we hope you enjoy seeing the development progress.
The Shardkiller: https://youtu.be/kLTTTClDSGw
The Last Vigil:
Fantastic Pixel Castle's employees stand on stone docks in their pre-alpha build city, showing off the four early classes currently in game. There are Tempests, Songbirds, Sphinx Guards, and Dreamblades gathered on the stone pathway.
From all of us at FPC to all of you, who have been with us the whole way, thank you. We hope this isn't goodbye.
We're so proud of what we accomplished in just two years of development - from endless expanses of checkerboards to something that really started to resemble the game of our dreams.
Cover art for the Word on the Street game development podcast, by Fantastic Pixel Castle and Scott Johnson. It features the title (Word on the Street) and a determined cartoon crab holding a sword in one claw.
Please join us for our 20th and final - at least for now - episode of Word on the Street! Greg and Scott will be joined by Jon and Kristina to talk about funding games in 2025 and our studio's efforts to find a path forward for Ghost.
11/10/2025, 11:00 AM PT.
👉 https://youtube.com/live/5EzaqTf2gg0
We are rigorous in collecting data, and the data on our team morale and performance is higher than I have ever seen. Despite the challenges, the past two years have been the most satisfying of my career. (7/7)
I also want to thank the FPC team who has made a game that we all should be proud of. I know it's cliche to say this, but demonstrably this is the best team I have ever worked with. (6/7)
We want to thank the Ghost community, our playtesters, and the literally hundreds of people who have given us advice on how to find funding in this absurdly challenging time for our industry. I hope you all will have a chance to play Ghost. (5/7)
If we're unable to find a publisher soon, the reality is that the studio would likely close, and the entire team, leadership included, would be affected. (4/7)
We’re doing everything we can to find a publisher or investor. At the same time, we’re encouraging our team members to explore future opportunities and supporting them through the uncertainty. (3/7)
NetEase Games has been very gracious and supportive of looking for another publisher for our game. However, in the current market environment very few deals are getting made for any game, let alone something on the scale of an MMORPG. (2/7)
A message from our studio founder, @ghostcrawler.bsky.social - a thread:
I wanted to share the news that Fantastic Pixel Castle’s time as a first party studio within NetEase Games is coming to an end. (1/7)
wait you might be onto something
OH THE HUMANITY
Technically TECHNICALLY worms aren’t bugs. They’re features. 🤓☝️
Okay so this is a bug and it did get fixed but NOT BEFORE I GOT FOOTAGE OF IT
An in-engine screenshot from the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. A Tempest player looks on as an orange and white clad NPC dies melodramatically. His arms are outstretched (and possibly somewhat elongated due to a graphical bug) as he topples backward on a wooden platform, his face twisted in a horrible grimace.
POV ur a generic npc in a video game but u went to Juilliard for this so ur gonna get ur @baftagames.bsky.social winning death scene no matter what u do
In the most recent episode of our podcast, our host Scott asks Brian, our Gameplay Design Director, what strategies he has in mind to keep Ghost's 30 eventual classes exciting and distinct.
Check out the full episode on YouTube for a deep dive on classes and combat in Ghost!
Concept art from the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. A man in layered, billowing blue and white robes with gold detailing raises his hands in incantation as a lute-like stringed instrument floats in the air in front of him. Faint winged creatures, like butterflies or birds, flutter in the background.
Concept art from the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. A man in layered, billowing robes of pink, white, and peach reaches toward a floating stringed instrument in front of him. The instrument is an ornate guitar-like creation with leaflike trim along the body, and a long neck bedecked with tassels. The man wears a silver crown reminiscent of branches upon his head.
Concept art from the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. The image is of three fantasy stringed instruments for the healing class The Songbird. They are various long-necked instruments reminiscent of guitars, shamisen, or a lute. They are patterned with leaves or other ornate natural-inspired detailing like branches or flowers.
Concept art of our first healing class: The Songbird.
The joyous music of the Songbird brings respite to all who might listen. Their uplifting presence and powerful healing crescendos make them a welcome presence upon any Skyship traversing the Drift.
Check out @jocat.net's video for more info on the Tempest's current gameplay in Project Ghost!
👉
A concept image of a fantasy thunder mage class The Tempest from the in-development MMO Project Ghost. Two Tempests stand neutrally with billowing robes in tones of blue, purple, and white. Their hair is tied back in a long ponytails or braids with ornate gold ornaments.
A black and white concept image of a fantasy thunder mage class The Tempest from the in-development MMO Project Ghost. A mage in billowing robes floats in the air, a staff in one hand as the other points to fire a blast of energy.
A black and white concept image of a fantasy thunder mage class The Tempest from the in-development MMO Project Ghost .A Tempest mage floats midair with lighting crackling behind her. Small bolts of green lightning lance from her eyes as she raises two large fans aloft. Green bolts of light swirl outward from the fans, and up her legs.
Meet our first ranged DPS class: The Tempest.
A true force of nature, with the raw power of storms at their fingertips - the Tempest is a damage-focused mage that makes for a formidable addition to any adventuring party.
Did you know we'll have 30 classes at launch?
It might sound like a massive number, but Brian and Greg are confident we can make it happen. Find out more about how we're hitting that magic number by launch in our most recent podcast episode!
What kind of class do you want to see next? 👀👀
A title image for the blog post featuring concept art for the in-development MMO Ghost. The art is of a skyship flying to a floating shard of land, surrounded by shimmering pastel clouds. The title reads "Ghost Stories.”
If yesterday's podcast episode piqued your curiosity, @ghostcrawler.bsky.social dives even deeper into combat on this week's episode of Ghost Stories. What makes MMO combat good? What's going on with tab targeting?
Find out more on our website!
👉 https://fantasticpixelcastle.com/new-detail/?id=796
A title card for the 19th episode of the Word on the Street podcast. It features the Word on the Street title image of a crab holding a sword, plus portraits of Greg Street, the studio founder of FPC, and Brian Holinka, the Gameplay Design Director. The title reads "19 - Get Classy."
If you missed our livestream earlier, don't worry, the VOD is up now!
Check it out on our YouTube page or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
👉 https://youtu.be/bcdWnVpDIXo
Cover art for the Word on the Street game development podcast, by Fantastic Pixel Castle and Scott Johnson. It features the title (Word on the Street) and a determined cartoon crab holding a sword in one claw.
We're live! Join us now for a guided tour into the class and combat design of Project Ghost with Greg, Scott, and Brian!
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/live/P5e7T_f5nHo
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/frogpants
#gamedev #gamedevpodcast #gamespodcast
Cover art for the Word on the Street game development podcast, by Fantastic Pixel Castle and Scott Johnson. It features the title (Word on the Street) and a determined cartoon crab holding a sword in one claw.
Join us on Wednesday, September 17th at 11:00 AM PT for our September episode of Word on the Street! Greg and Scott welcome Brian Holinka back to the show to talk about all things combat and classes in Ghost!
🎥: https://www.youtube.com/live/P5e7T_f5nHo
#gamedev #gamedevpodcast #gamespodcast
The kind folks at @fpcstudio.bsky.social let me play a bunch more of their upcoming MMO and try out their 2nd class: The Tempest! Here are my thoughts on both it, as well as how far the game's come since my first video www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcdL...
Concept art from the in-development MMORPG, Project Ghost. It features two characters, one holding a sword, staring up at a misty sky full of floating islands. Mountains, rivers, and ruins of ancient buildings rise from the sky islands out of the mist. The over-text reads, "Question of the Week."
It's time for another Question of the Week!
How much does lore matter to you in your favorite MMORPGs? Do you love delving into deep, intricate mysteries, or do you prefer to skip cutscenes and head straight into battle?
In the most recent episode of our podcast, our audio designer James talks with Scott and Greg about the details of sound design in building immersive video game worlds - and how sometimes the most useful sound effects come from the most unlikely of places!
A title image for the blog post featuring concept art for the in-development MMO Ghost. The art is of a skyship flying to a floating shard of land, surrounded by shimmering pastel clouds. The title reads "Ghost Stories.”
Welcome back to Ghost Stories.
This week, @ghostcrawler.bsky.social answers some of our most persistent questions: Why are you playtesting Ghost so early, and what kind of feedback is helpful for a pre-alpha game?
Live now, on our website!
👉 https://fantasticpixelcastle.com/new-detail/?id=777
@jocat.net asks the important questions on our most recent developer stream.
Priorities, y’all. Priorities. 🤷🏻♀️🍑
(Brb, explaining the phrase "caked up" on the company slack.)
A meme for the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. It features a picture of the Riddler from Batman with the text, "Riddle me this! We scoured the map, we gathered all the loots, but why are our packs just filled up with boots?"
A meme for the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. It features a four panel comic of two birds: One begins saying "Verdant Chorus," then begins to say "Crescendo," but is interrupted by a crow yelling "OATHKEEPER DECIMATE GLADECARVER DECIMATE GLADECARVER-" over and over - the current "spin to win" ultimate rotation for the Dreamblade class. The first bird stares into the middle distance as this continues without end.
A meme for the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. It features an image of StarlitOracle, the FPC Community Manager, overlaid on top of a screenshot of Edna Mode from the movie The Incredibles. The caption reads, "NO CULTS!"
A meme for the early development MMORPG, Project Ghost. It features a screenshot from the anime Dragonball Z, of Goku blasting Piccolo with a powerful Kamehameha. The text reads, "Hitting bro with the point blank healing beam."
It may be a Tuesday but we've still got time for community memes over here. Check out the latest from our testers:
If you see our Community Manager at PAX West this weekend, be sure to say hi and help her with her survey!
