Online jackpot game scrapped

MindQuest, a game software start-up that to give a twist to online gaming by adding cash prizes, announced Friday that it is scrapping its "TerraQuest" game due to low subscriber numbers. "TerraQuest" was a mystery/adventure game with a $25,000 monthly prize for the first player to solve that month's puzzle, and a $250,000 grand prize for the first player to solve the main puzzle.

The game launched in November and was to unfold in a series of six monthly installments. Players paid $25 to download the software and monthly updates. MindQuest CEO Keith Griffin said in a statement that the company would refund all registration fees. He expects to return with a revamped version of the game. "By discontinuing 'TerraQuest' now, we can take the compelling storyline and combine the user and editorial feedback to modify the structural part of the game," he said.