outside of Final Fantasy 14, can the "Post Launch Re-Release" method work for bad MMOs?

MMOExposed

outside of Final Fantasy 14, can the "Post Launch Re-Release" method work for bad MMOs?

I been thinking about this for a while for a certain number of badly released MMOs over the years. 

But this would be a huge risk it seem. To shut down your MMORPG product and all progression, to re-release the MMO in the future in a better state and have people start over for their progression. Some people may feel offended by such action and not come back, while in some cases like FF14, more people will come to fill in that gap since the game would be in a much better shape.

Can this work for MMOs other than Final Fantasy 14?

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kitarad

Most companies run out of money. They don't have Square Enix to back them so no it won't work.

Dattelis

Tbh, SE took a gamble and almost bankrupted the company on 14 (and again on 13). It did manage to pay off for them, since 14 is what kept 15 going.

It just comes down to companies and their 'honor' at the end of the day. The reason SE did that was because 14 was a main series title and they've almost bankrupted themselves to say mainline IPs. I dont think many companies would do that for series IPs, let alone new ones.

MMOExposed

kitarad said:

Most companies run out of money. They don't have Square Enix to back them so no it won't work.

could it work for New World by Amazon Game Studio?

kitarad

I do not think it is a sound business proposition. It makes far more sense to make what they have currently work or completely shut it down as far as Amazon is concerned. What Square did was very risky. Plus I have to seriously question whether Amazon has the talent to rebuild the game again based on all the issues they have had with New World. Does Amazon have anyone like Naoki Yoshida?

Kyleran

kitarad said:

I do not think it is a sound business proposition. It makes far more sense to make what they have currently work or completely shut it down as far as Amazon is concerned. What Square did was very risky. Plus I have to seriously question whether Amazon has the talent to rebuild the game again based on all the issues they have had with New World. Does Amazon have anyone like Naoki Yoshida?

Amazon has the money to hire the right talent if it is currently lacking.

What they don't have is a compelling IP like LOTRO, SWTOR, or FFIV did so their game's recovery is far less likely.

Fallout 76 is a good example of there being a solid, much beloved IP but Bethesda never was willing to invest much to improve what was always supposed to be a quickly made, cheap cash grab using existing assets from FO4 rather than a honest attempt at a good online game.

Much like New World's Devs did at first, they expected survival elements coupled with PVP would be enough to make FO76 a success, which even their IP couldn't save them.

finefluff

It depends on how much work needs to be done. FF14 was rebuilt using a new engine and server infrastructure. If you compare the graphics of the previous version to the current, you'll notice a big difference. Does New World need that much work? (I haven't played it much).

There also wasn't too big of a delay between the old version and the new version being released. The old version shutdown in November 2012 and 2.0 came out August 2013. They began development while the original was still running. In this type of scenario, the studio can still bring in some revenue while developing the new version, which might make it easier to do. Although, I imagine the old version wasn't bringing in much.

Theocritus

Remali said:

Very difficult for someone else to do it
FF had the money the devs and one of the most loyal fanbases
Most companies especially indie ones have no chance of replicating that

I look at a game like Bless Unleashed...How many times has that been re-released? 3? 4? and it has not appeared to be any better as it goes along.....I didnt play the first FFXIV so I have no idea what they did to make it better...i wasnt really impressed with this version either, but I am not really a fan of the Final Fantasy series.

Brainy

I think rereleasing would be a smart move for New World.  The problem is they need to know exactly why its not appealing to the massive player base in the first place then FIX those things. Fat chance that will happen.  Rereleasing the same product will get the same results.

What can they really lose?  They are down in the 20k range of players out of 25mil+ sold.  They already made their money upfront, if they plan to monetize the game in the future with expansions or such, then they better do something.

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kitarad

Kyleran said:

kitarad said:

I do not think it is a sound business proposition. It makes far more sense to make what they have currently work or completely shut it down as far as Amazon is concerned. What Square did was very risky. Plus I have to seriously question whether Amazon has the talent to rebuild the game again based on all the issues they have had with New World. Does Amazon have anyone like Naoki Yoshida?

Amazon has the money to hire the right talent if it is currently lacking.

What they don't have is a compelling IP like LOTRO, SWTOR, or FFIV did so their game's recovery is far less likely.

Fallout 76 is a good example of there being a solid, much beloved IP but Bethesda never was willing to invest much to improve what was always supposed to be a quickly made, cheap cash grab using existing assets from FO4 rather than a honest attempt at a good online game.

Much like New World's Devs did at first, they expected survival elements coupled with PVP would be enough to make FO76 a success, which even their IP couldn't save them.

In all this time while making New World have they hired someone like Naoki Yoshida , someone you can link FF14's vision and recovery to. Name me this person I certainly cannot see it.

mekhere

MMOExposed said:

outside of Final Fantasy 14, can the "Post Launch Re-Release" method work for bad MMOs?

I been thinking about this for a while for a certain number of badly released MMOs over the years. 

But this would be a huge risk it seem. To shut down your MMORPG product and all progression, to re-release the MMO in the future in a better state and have people start over for their progression. Some people may feel offended by such action and not come back, while in some cases like FF14, more people will come to fill in that gap since the game would be in a much better shape.

Can this work for MMOs other than Final Fantasy 14?

You can rerelease a game after 20 years of investment. you have to allow the players from the previous game to come over in a locked server and allow them to learn the zones, craft a little, and at least level something. But they can't unlock that server and let the veterans out until either 6 to 12 months go by, or a certain percentage of the new players have reached end game and are geared properly. Everyone needs a fighting chance. It is completely possible. No one has tried this yet tht I am aware of. I would love to see eq2 or daoc rereleased in this way.