You may recently have read word confirming the of Ghost, the forthcoming console title being created by Blizzard. What you may not have realised is that a third-party developer has also been assisting on the project, Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption's Nihilistic - who have just left the project, partly having completed many of their numerous duties, and partly because of pre-existing contractual obligations which would have been infringed by continued work on the freshly delayed title.

"Nihilistic has completed its contribution on StarCraft: Ghost," LAN Fed were told in a statement. "They are contracted to begin work on another project in the months ahead. Due to the requirements of that obligation and the delay of StarCraft, it was mutually determined that now would be the best time for them to complete their work."

Nihilistic had been working on much of the technology and artistic side of Ghost, and their withdrawal may even delay the game still further, as if the departures of demi-god Bill Roper and producer / artist brothers Chris and Ron Millar weren't damaging enough.

By Luke Guttridge