Quick Take
- Magic Machine announces hiatus for the Forgotten Runes project partly due to vanished NFT royalties.
- Co-founder Elf J Trul points to impossible business conditions without ongoing cash flow.
- The Runiverse MMO stays online while its community fears of eventual shutdown.
Magic Machine shared details about its current status during a Discord exchange this week. Co-founder Elf J Trul explained that the studio had stepped back for the time being. He pointed to the complete loss of royalties as a key factor that made sustaining an NFT business difficult. Without steady cash flow, covering employee costs to continue building proved unworkable. The team could not commit to indefinite unpaid efforts.
The conversation arose when a community member asked about the project’s extended silence and plans ahead. Trul clarified that the hiatus stemmed less from depleted funds and more from lacking a clear business path. He noted the TV show development had faced typical industry fluctuations, with a substantial script portion completed but no firm progress beyond that. Still, he suggested potential openings in crypto or tech could align with Forgotten Runes down the line.
One holder countered that royalties had not been essential during the project’s early phases. Trul responded by reiterating the need for revenue to support paid work. Another query focused on the Runiverse game’s future, with confirmation that it stayed live. A separate community voice predicted it might not last beyond two years, though no official timeline emerged.
Forgotten Runes launched in 2021 with 10,000 on-chain wizard NFTs that sold out rapidly for over 700 ETH. Subsequent collections, including warriors and beasts, added to the treasury through mints and auctions. A land sale served as a funding round, drawing investments from firms like Dialectic. The project expanded into comics via Titan Comics and aimed for a TV series with Titmouse studio. The Runiverse MMORPG went live on Ronin in 2025 with free-to-play quests and battles after joining the network in July 2024.
On X, the update prompted varied responses. Some users expressed disappointment over unfulfilled elements like the TV show and comics. Others highlighted the funds raised and questioned the project’s direction. They described a shift in communication starting around 2023, with updates becoming less frequent amid growing feedback.
The official site continues to promote the Runiverse as an active open-source RPG set for further development. It holds several community resources like Wizzypedia for lore. No formal hiatus notice appears there, which align with the Discord comments as an internal studio adjustment rather than a full project closure.
This story reflects the ongoing pressures in the Web3 gaming space, where once-thriving projects have since shutdown or slowed.
