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EVE Online: Examining the "Icelandic Model" of MMO Development
MikeB
Community ManagerAdministrator RarePosts: 6,555
EVE Online expert Alexander "The Mittani" Gianturco wrote an interesting article on the "Icelandic Model" of MMO development that CCP Games pursues over at Gamasutra, asserting that EVE Online's systems-based sandbox design is the key to success for many of the smaller MMO outfits out there who have been trying to compete on the "Big Content" model that games like World of Warcraft pursue.
The article serves as a continuation of the talk he gave at this year's GDC on EVE Online's metagame where Alexander met many game developers who "were disheartened by the dominance of the blockbuster business model -- its incredible cost, its astonishing risk and rate of failure, and the linear content-based gameplay it has engendered."
Alexander breaks down the "Icelandic Model" into four pillars, a sandbox-based endgame, a unique, engaging environment, reinvestment and organic growth, and features over linear content. The basic idea here isn't for developers looking to skyrocket to success, but for developers on a smaller budget who are comfortable with a slow burn and the cultivation of their game. EVE Online started out with a small base sandbox game, very light on frills and content, and continued to expand horizontally over time with additional features as CCP reinvested the profits coming in from the niche subscriber base they had back into developing the game, which in turn helped the game grow in subscriber base significantly up to where it is at today.
Read the full article over at Gamasutra for the full examination of the "Big Content" model's issues as well as the benefits of the "Icelandic Model".
[Thanks Inktomi for the tip!]
Comments
This gives me so much more hope for World of Darkness Online. I really want them (CCP) to make it with these ideas in mind.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
I have trouble seeing Mittens as an expert at anything, to be perfectly honest.
Now with 57.3% more flames!
I admittedly don't know the guy nor have read any of his other work that this his Gamasutra information cites, but what he wrote here is something that resonates with me.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
Believe what you want about Gianturco and whether he's an expert on anything, but I say from within the industry that many of us firmly believe that this fetish for blockbusters and the publishers' pursuit of high-cost products with linear gameplay is a cancer.
Even developers want to make more interesting products. Our problem is we can't get funding. It's very hard to make a game on a shoestring - you have to be in a pretty fortunate position to manage it.
We need lower-risk, and perhaps smaller scale products. I won't comment or judge here whether "linearity of content" or "sandbox/themepark" issues come into play in this - those are a matter of gamer preference. I'm saying our model for funding bigger teams and blockbuster games is inherently broken at the root, and we in the industry desperately need to be doing something different, because if nothing else, it's making it very hard for developers to innovate. It's also wasting a crapload of money.
Everything I see in the "Icelandic Model" looks positive to me. I'd give a lot to be able to work on a project developed that way... once not long ago I thought a team I was on was doing that... but management changed course on us and many of the team felt betrayed. Can't turn back the clock, I'm afraid, but new opportunities may yet arise.
The icelandic model would be nothing special as a lot more MMOs would be like it.
But because all the 12 year olds and soccer moms that play WoW have nearly killed the MMO industry.
And yes I will even bring up SWG and other MMOs like it around the time WoW came out.
notice around u closely. the big block buster hits are starting to get old. *same old same old*. i suspect more creative stuff will be poping up soon and lets not forget every1 hated free to play games.. but now they are becoming a huge hit. so much that companies have began goin that route as u can make more money this way.only 2 games i have ever found to be different is Fallen Earth and Eve online. Both have concepts that actually work and can be well played out for along time.
today MMO's are like movies there are only few that are good
BestSigEver :P
The "Icelandic Model"........Is there a documentary in the making
The Mittani is metagaming again.
There may be harm in risking but there can also be regrets in doing nothing.
The f2p model, at least the one used by most of the f2p games is just a novelty now, that is the only reason it is even slightly successful. The only survivable model is the one used by Turbine in DDO, the rest of them have such a high turnover rate that once a new game comes out they struggle. Once players play a few of them, they quickly tire of them.
CCP is certainly an innovator in this field, too bad more companies don't copy them. Problem is with idiots at the helm of Activision and EA, don't look for a change any time soon there. SOE is dead as long as the current executive office runs it, not sure what will happen with Turbine now that they are no longer independent. None of the Korean/Chinese have figured out what this market wants yet, probably don't care as there are far more players in the east to satisfy.
So I guess we have to wait for another indie company to do the innovating.
Well you got execs looking at the short term big money instead of the long term big money thses days, not a whole lot of indie companies looking for that staying power.