[4] Players would have inhabited a member of one of four playable races − humans, elves, gnomes, and ogres − and explored different environments, accepting quests and fighting enemies.

[7] The gameplay was internally compared to World of Warcraft, with a focus on exploration, real-time combat using multiple abilities, and character classes and traits.

[8] While the base game would have been free, microtransactions would have been incorporated offering optional perks and items to players such as cosmetic armor sets, house furnishings, and in-game pets.

[15][16] The user interface (UI) was being designed by Irena Pereira, known for her work on World of Warcraft and its expansions The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King.

[20] Early concept art was noted for a lack of corners and angles, a conscious artistic and technical choice by Ang to set it apart from other similar games.

[2] Salvatore created the 10,000 years of backstory and history for the Amalur setting with some friends in a Dungeons & Dragons group, and he worked with McFarlane to ensure his art design matched the story.

In late 2010, 38 Studios negotiated an agreement with the state of Rhode Island in which the company secured a $75 million loan in exchange for moving to the region to help grow the local tech industry.

[8] An anonymous employee later countered this, saying a small playtest group within the company was enjoying their time in-game, but participation was limited due to the difficulty accessing private servers.

[8][12] Multiple employees were shocked and demoralized leading up to and following the closure, as the company had fostered a strong team spirit and they were deeply attached to Project Copernicus.

[8][37] Further leaked videos of Project Copernicus following 38 Studios' closure included pre-alpha footage of the character creator and in-game navigation,[5] and several employees mentioned details related to its setting and mechanics in interviews and online posts.

[2][3][5][10] Salvatore, while he held no grudges against the game's collapse, felt Project Copernicus had failed due to a changing market and budget overrun.

[16] A 2012 feature by Gamasutra on defining events in gaming that year mentioned Project Copernicus as "a reminder of just how expensive and risky a triple-A MMO is in our rapidly evolving climate".

[38] In a 2021 list of unreleased MMOs, Steven Messner of PC Gamer noted that the project had the potential to be a good entry in the genre despite little concrete gameplay information, but that despite not being officially canceled, it was unlikely to see release.

[39] Brendan Sinclair, writing for GamesIndustry.biz in 2022, highlighted Project Copernicus and 38 Studios as a cautionary tale of over-ambition and an example of bad employer practices within the gaming industry.

[33][41] Subsequently, Jeff Easley was described as the studio's only remaining employee, tasked with keeping the technical aspects of Project Copernicus running until a buyer could be found.

[34] Lars Buttler, chief executive officer of Trion Worlds, blamed the project's failure and by extension the studio's collapse on an overambitious scope for a first-time developer.

[45] Speaking about the MMO in relation to 38 Studios and the initial failure to sell the IP, Chafee called it "a lot of junk", which Schilling countered hostilely on social media.