One of the reasons for a post concerning MMOs and their future is certainly the recent reveal of the MMO we all knew was coming (I even met one of the writers working on it at PAX, though of course he couldn't confirm or deny): Star Wars: The Old Republic. Are you excited? Should you be? Hopefully it's not a child-focused, visual abortion the latest Clone Wars turned out to be (unlike its predecessor done by Genndy Tartakovsky). But I digress, this one is done by Bioware.Anyway, what I wanna know is where the MMO is going? I think WAR has done a great job in doing what EQ did for UO and what WoW did for EQ. But these days, everyone and their mom is making an MMO. Where will everyone have any time to play these games? If we play them, where will people find time to play all of the other great games? The market for MMOs is quickly approaching (if not already) full saturation. For games meant to be played for months or years at a time, each one is expecting an amazing commitment.
I predict we'll shift in how MMOs are conceived. The first to change should be the monthly fee. $15 has been the standard since the original Everquest upped it from $9.99 during a transition to one of their first of 15 expansions. It should shift to either a lower monthly amount or, more likely, a different way of processing transactions such as ::gasp:: an hourly fee. I dunno exactly.
Another change will come in the expectations of time commitment. If we are supposed to play these games on top of a plethora of others, we can't be expected to waste our lives away for an exorbitant portion of our after-work hours on them. Thankfully, WAR feels more pick-up-and-play for as little amount of time as I want than any other I've played before.
Lastly, our concept of what an MMO provides us should change, for gamers and developers. These games are by far some of the most immersive universes we can participate in already, and yet most of this relies on game mechanics and playing with friends. Why can't their be more story we care about? As they evolve, I think we'll see something more to this effect.
To put a blanket on this still growing flower bed, just think about what still has yet to come out: APB from the creators of Crackdown, Star Trek, a possible Firefly endeavor, DC Universe, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and an as-yet unannounced MMO from the creators of Oblivion and Fallout 3. I'm sure there are many, many others out there as well.
If the MMO bug hasn't bitten yet, be very careful to keep applying that online-shooter bugspray and keep them away. I'm already a lost cause.
-- "I'm a leaf on the wind; watch how I soar."
2 comments:
-- "What does that mean?"
I like the blog. Just wanted to add that with all the MMOs out there, they have to differentiate more than before. As all the MMOs you mentioned, they're all trying different things to attract attention. I'm hoping games like Guild Wars catch so they're easier to afford. And I'm not holding my breath on a Firefly MMO, that company is shady at best :)
The only MMO that could dethrone World of Warcraft is if Gamefreak and Nintendo decide to make an MMO Pokemon. That would have the kind of audience that it could probably rival WOW.for more Go to
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