Why was Magic School simultaneously announced and canceled? For once, we actually know

polygon.com:

In late July, Mini Motorwaysand Mini Metro developer Dinosaur Polo Club did something other studios don’t usually do: Announced a new game on its website and social media, then in the same breath, explained why it was canceled.

Magic School was in the works for years, and went way beyond the minimalist style of the studio’s first two games. The name tells you a lot about the concept: Magic School was intended to be the opposite of Mini Motorwaysor Mini Metro — a “maximalist simulation game,” Dinosaur Polo Club co-founder and Magic School designer Robert Curry called it in an interview released alongside the announcement and cancellation of the game. And what’s more complex than a boarding school for teaching magic? There are systems upon systems set up for classes, housing, meals, and general living — and that exists not only on a day-to-day level for both students and faculty, but over years.

If this were another studio, Magic School may have come and gone without any peep of public information about it; the conversations around the game and its end would remain inside the New Zealand studio’s walls. But Dinosaur Polo Club chose a different path as a way to celebrate what its team created, and to enable its staff to use what they’ve created in their portfolios. This is often an issue with canceled games — a team spends years on a project and when it’s canceled, there’s nothing those team members can show for it due to strict non-disclosure agreements.

Though Magic School won’t come to fruition, Dinosaur Polo Club showcased the game because it wanted people to see it. Magic School was exciting for the team, but ultimately, they weren’t the team to make it, a group of Dinosaur Polo Club developers (studio co-founder Robert Curry, art director Blake Wood, community and engagement manager Casey Lucas-Quaid, and lead game designer Zala Habib) told Polygon in an interview in August.

[Ed. note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

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