One of the greatest and fan-favorite PC RPG franchises, Neverwinter Nights, looks like it might be heading back into production after a four year hiatus. For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, Neverwinter Nights is a campaign setting in Dungeons & Dragons, specifically within the Forgotten Realms setting. Certainly a happy thought for table-top gamers who want to bring their characters to a more visual setting.

Atari has gone ahead and registered numerous domain names associated with the word "neverwinter", so that might be a strong indication that the series is not dead and Atari is waiting for the right time to unleash upon the public. In fact, it was rumored that a Neverwinter Nights MMO might be released in 2011.

Here's a list of the registered domains:

http://whois.domaintools.com/visitneverwinter.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/neverwinter-game.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/neverwintergame.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/play-neverwinter.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/playneverwinter.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/save-neverwinter.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/saveneverwinter.com

Could this be an attempt by Atari to gauge interest in a Neverwinter Nights sequel? With I think that's good business for any developer, especially if they're creating a MMORPG. With such well established franchises to contend with in the genre, Atari might find it a bit difficult to compete in this particular market.

I'm pretty excited about this series might be returning to gamers after such a long time, but with some big name titles that you would have expected fans to latch on to (Star Trek Online for example) failing, it adds a small feeling of trepidation. Would I like to see another Neverwinter Nights game? Absolutely. Would I be equally excited if it wasn't a MMO-based game and a single player game? Yes. Do I think Atari will release this game in 2011? Signs point to yes.

Source: Destructoid 1, Destructoid 2