Over at The Escapist, they have a pretty interesting interview with the creators of the Seed MMO, which explains the concept of the adventurous MMO, and why, like a lot of ambitious but quirky titles, it just didn't end up flying anywhere.

They explain: "From the beginning, Runestone's Seed was built around human interaction - the game didn't even have a combat system - and roleplaying was at the forefront, emphasized in an age when roleplay has devolved into "You can play an elf, if you want. Or, you know, an orc.""

But sadly, 'twas not to be: "That was the idea, anyway. Runestone's star burned brightly over the summer of 2006, but a troubled and buggy release (and a lack of external financial backing) laid the company low. On September 28, 2006, Runestone CEO Lars Kroll Kristensen posted a heartfelt farewell to his community." The article explains why - sometimes interesting things just aren't marketable?