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OLD MMO's are still incredibly profitable (new top 5 sub charts)
scorpex-x
Member RarePosts: 1,030
This is the new subscription (or optional subscription) top 5 most profitable MMO titles of January 2015. This shows profits for just 1 single month (pic below).
4/5 of the titles on this list are "old" titles, and 2 of the titles on the list are unique in some way or another (action combat for tera and Eve is unique as you can get). Lineage 1 is the most profitable MMO that NCsoft currently runs, and they made wildstar and GW2.
So when people say the mmo genre is dead here or that older mmo titles were better so why don't companies make more of those. A) No It's not dead and 
those old titles you say were awesome are still running and incredibly profitable.
The most profitable MMO in the world is 10 years old, the 2nd most profitable mmo in the East is 17 years old. In-fact the only modern mmo on the chart is Tera.
Comments
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
Clearly a lot of people consider those good games though, or they wouldn't be making that kind of money. (Even if I personally don't play a single one on that list.)
Also, Scorpex... developers are doing exactly what you are saying. They ARE chasing "the old MMO" that's incredibly popular. *points to WoW* xD
And I'm sure Lineage has plenty of clones over in Asia too. And Lineage Eternal will probably release in both the west and the east.
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/
This is old news and has been posted already quite a while ago.
1. Lineage 2 is F2P so is TERA.
2. Until you post some official TERA numbers those that they posted are pure guesswork.
3. WTF, wow carrot has been chased and done to death and funnily enough theres no wow clone on that list but 2 of those games are lineage "clones"/"spiritual successors"
the last game that chased wow was wildstar, and lessons were learned there i would expect. the raid/meterWhore/Lobby/Gear Up ever week model is cooked, its a closed market that WOW has sown up and captured.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
I don't think the model is cooked at all. It's all a matter of execution, and the Wildstar team didn't accomplish it.
I didn't realize TERA was that much more profitable than Aion I thought it was the other way around.
Although TERA questing was really boring they do have a really god combat system for an MMO. Note: not everyone likes the fighter-style combo system and that is fine, but objectively for what it is it works very nicely and it works very nicely with BAMS even if solo BAM fights are just too long to not get boring after the first few minutes even with the tight mechanics.
Lineage is the only 1st gen game on there though.
The problem isn't that the MMO genre is dead but that so few new games makes the profit the publishers expect of them.
If that is because the games aren't good enough or if the publishers have unrealistic expectations can be discussed but it is worriesome that so few large publishers dares to risk making a new MMO.
It is not just bad news, the kickstarter and indie games is a pretty intersting thing here since those games generally try far more new ideas than someone who have a publisher like EA to finance them and we just need one really good game to become a success to revitalize the entire genre but right now are not only most of the larger games growing old, the players average age is also going up and we seems to having a problem recruit new players who never played a MMO before.
Anyways do I think MMOs are a far too good idea to just die but the games needs to change or it will once again become a small niche genre, at least in the west, like it was before Wow.
What are the most profitable games out of all the mmorpg games?
But ofc many clearly consider these great games, even if you don't.
The question is about profits? Even if China pays less, it's still about profits.
To me, this chart isn't about who is the *most* profitable.
It is about the fact that these games *ARE* *STILL* incredibly profitable.
It definitely does mean something that a title over 10 years old is the game of choice for so many still.
No idea why all these armchair experts are discounting this data with personal opinions..
Each one of those games has a premium offering which is basically the same as a subscription. You say Tera doesn't pull those numbers? have you ever even logged into that game, makes your FFXIV and ESO communities seem pitiful.. Aion, maybe not so big in the west but it is one of the most competitive MMOs out there and loved by a great many.
This site is greatly geared towards MMO hoppers that won't support a game for much longer than a couple a months, and oh how they love to tear apart a game they spurned years ago. Deny any success they had and impose their own opinions on everyone.. just like they did when the game was new.
Guess what, all those games on the list are popular and withstood the test of time. They have large player bases that spend time in game, rather than running their bias in this forum. Most of the naysayers will never find a game to play and enjoy.. that is besides this game of denial and ignorance.
The only real question you have to ask yourself OP is do you play any of these titles religiously... I really don't see the point in bringing up financials of a game you don't even play.
Hershey's makes 10 billion a year in sales (made up figure) but you're allergic to chocolate... how does the sale of chocolate affect you?
Come on, post some official numbers on TERA.
Until then, those numbers are as good as any other internet numbers.
And considering TERA is REALLY F2P and shoulnt even be on that list by any stretch of imagination in the first place.
but thats superdata for you. Ever inventing numbers.
Am i the only that expected titles such as UO, AC, EQ, and AO, to be listed instead? lol.
I don't see how this is good for the genre when you have all these older titles keeping it alive (even Tera is getting quite old now, since it released in 2011-2012). Eventually, the genre will shrink if it doesn't grab newer generations, otherwise it will become a niche playerbase who are still playing 10+ year old games.
Wildstar was the latest hyped MMO to crash and burn. No more hype from EQN lately. I just don't see these upcoming kickstarter indie MMO's keeping the genre profitable for the long term, such as EQ, Lineage, and WoW did. Star Citizen is probably the exception, and the only kickstarter MMO that has the most hype outside of the genre, which could bring in more people to the genre.
Other then WoW western mmos are a total joke.
If you say so but I don't like any MMO's that aren't of American or European design. The others are too spaztic and flamboyant.
According to the same source, SWTOR made 106 million from Jan to Sept of 2014, which would put it at about 11-12 million/month avg (and 2nd in the west behind WoW)....that's 11-12 million/month for a game that has had no Eastern release...
Id say Western MMOs are doing just fine
I am not surprised Tera is on that list. It has, arguably, the best action combat mechanics in the MMORPG industry. Even if you don't agree with that assertion, the action combat fun factor in Tera is undeniable. I don't play Tera regularly but I do find myself going back to it on occasion. Each time I do I get hooked, and find myself having fun for a period of time, largely due to its combat mechanics. I can't say that for any other game. Usually, when I'm done with a game, i don't go back.
How were these numbers compiled?
Please don't include "superdata" in the answer :-)
We dont need casuals in our games!!! Errm... Well we DO need casuals to fund and populate our games - But the games should be all about "hardcore" because: We dont need casuals in our games!!!
(repeat ad infinitum)