Perpetual Entertainment
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | March 2002 |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Fate | Assets transferred to P2 Entertainment; company liquidated |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California , United States |
| Products | Star Trek Online, Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, Perpetual Entertainment Platform (PEP), Perpetual Game Engine |
Perpetual Entertainment, established in March 2002, was a United States-based developer, publisher, and operator focused on networked multiplayer titles and MMORPGs. The firm was headquartered in San Francisco, California, and remained active until 2007, when its assets were handed over to P2 Entertainment, which subsequently closed in 2008. The company gained recognition primarily for creating two MMORPGs: Star Trek Online and Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.
Products
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising reached the beta stage before being indefinitely postponed in October 2007 after several rounds of layoffs, as the company redirected its efforts solely toward Star Trek Online. By January 2008, Perpetual discontinued development under the Star Trek license, transferring it to Cryptic Studios.
Perpetual also developed the Perpetual Entertainment Platform (PEP), an all-encompassing system designed to support the creation, hosting, monitoring, and management of online multiplayer games on various devices such as PCs, consoles, mobile phones, and handheld gadgets. This platform was notably licensed by BioWare for their MMORPG endeavors.
Moreover, the company was working on the Perpetual Game Engine—a collection of reusable libraries and tools aimed at enabling efficient and reliable development of networked games across multiple genres.
Company liquidation
After workforce reductions in December 2006, Perpetual underwent further staff departures and layoffs late in 2007. This led to the indefinite suspension of Gods & Heroes as the studio concentrated exclusively on Star Trek Online.
On October 10, 2007, Perpetual Entertainment Inc. transferred all its assets, including the Star Trek Online property, to Perpetual LLC for liquidation purposes and creditor settlements.
Soon thereafter, P2 Entertainment acquired Perpetual’s intellectual property while retaining the existing management team. By January 14, 2008, P2 announced the cessation of Star Trek Online development and transferred the IP license along with game content (excluding source code) to a Bay Area-based developer—later identified as Cryptic Studios.
In December 2007, public relations agency Kohnke Communications initiated legal action against Perpetual; this dispute was amicably resolved and dismissed by January 24, 2008.
By February 25, 2008, P2 Entertainment had fully shut down operations and taken down all company websites.