I have to agree with you here. I think the biggest problem in the MMOverse is that WoW hit it so big.
Like just about anything that has that "perfect storm" success, the industry jumped on the bandwagon and tried to duplicate it.
LoL hit it big. WoT hit it somewhat big. Healthstone hit it big. Heck, even TOR hit it somewhat big. There are lots of successes besides WoW .. though i have to say WOW is the biggest of them all.
Thing is, markets go in cycles. Right now MOBAs are the "in thing" but for example if VR takes off or if one of those indie MMOs is a sleeper hit you could easily have a renewal of interest in deeper MMO-type games again.
Yet, i think we are seeing new trend rising : the survival games.
They have the most important aspect of MMO - persistent shared world. But take it much further than previous MMOs did ( with few shining exceptions like SWG, UO or Wurm)
Crowfall is essentially taking the page of that book as well.
@Lobotomist I agree, survival mmos, sandboxes this is what is popular for now (see ARK). I cannot say that big developers don't produce good games, but indies (as in other genres) gave a fresh blood to the market.
I agree that the launch of ESO could effectively be used as a landmark as well.
If I was going to summarize this year, in mmropg terms, with eyes through a pc gamers glasses, it would be:
- Blizzards new mmo turned out to be an FPS - Wow revealed massive loss of subscribers - Wildstar went Free 2 Play, but everyone forgot about that game anyhow. - Everquest Next declared vaporware, with the selloff of SOE. - 2 Korean mmos finally arrives in the West, after 5 something years of waiting. - The year we forgot about the hype we had for Archage - GW2 expansion released, does anyone still play that game? - Lots of Indie companies wants to make mmo that I know nothing about. - No WoW clones announced.
I know it's kind of biased, but if I were to try to look at the mmo world from an outside perspective, this would probably be it.
GW2 still has lots of players, the maps are still full, so it seems you have not looked into it after HoT release.
A wave of survival games is already here. The next one will be cooperative games (Divinity, Borderlands, Fable legends etc.), I think. Don't know what is going to come after that. Something entirely new I hope.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been-Wayne Gretzky
I think the tide is turning, but at the same time, the genre keeps expanding...by definition, by sheer amount of games, and by playerbase. I'm curious to see if WoW can convert more this summer. I'm betting they can. That's all trickle down for the entire genre. There's a couple I'm looking forward to trying in 2016 -- Black Desert, Albion, perhaps more. "Mainstream" is stretching it, but they are mmorpgs nonetheless.
Well ideas for new mmorpgs are running out, but mmorpgs are not dying Lol. Actually mmorpgs are getting more populated by players. in 2016 there's a good amount of mmorpgs coming out that im waiting for and im actually kind of happy that there are no big wave of mmorpgs coming out. MMORPGs are meant to be played long time, not few months and then switch ships. Many mmorpgs coming out just hurt each other. Imagine if there was no ArcheAge people would still be in Tera or Aion, now they left to ArcheAge saw it was money sucking game and left it and are currently sitting in the air waiting for Black desert.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I don't worry per say, but I think we might need to brace ourselves with more patience.
Why do we have to be patient? It is not like there are a lot of good games (or good online games) to play.
The world does not have to evolve around MMOs. If there are nice ones, i will give it a few min of my time. Otherwise, there are other stuff to do (such as posting here, or watch the Flash, or play Crimes & Punishment .. the list goes on and on).
I won't speak for others, only myself.
I wasn't a kid or a teenager when I started playing MMORPGs, I was in my thirties, married with children, full time job, mortgage, etc. I never could put in some of the time others did but I absolutely fell in love with MMORPGs as a hobby like my Uncle had fallen in love with radio controlled model airplanes a generation before. MMORPGs to me were the PnP games I loved to play in my twenties gone digital and online.
I made a decision literally decades ago to never purchase/play console games (I see it as a money pit), I never liked just FPSs, never enjoyed just RTSs, I tried MOBAs and didn't like them, I don't really like singleplayer RPGs because I can get a better story reading a book. MMORPGs to me were never about "Story" they were about real people joining together to enjoy a virtual world and play a game in that virtual world, and once in a while RP a little. I played Skyrim for a while but STEAM to me is nothing more than an
online Console gaming system and I despise that kind of thing, so my copy of Skyrim went in the trash. I see nothing else I find interesting to switch to. This is why I usually
prefer to refer to myself as a MMORPG Player rather than a Gamer. Gamers play everything. I don't.
MMORPGs are the only genre I enjoy in online gaming. I play nothing but MMORPGs consistently because that's what I like and that's what drew me to Online gaming in the first place. When MMORPGs are gone then I'm gone from online gaming as well.
That's why when some people say MMOs can be any kind of game I take it rough. That's why as MMORPG.com has started broadening it's news coverage of gaming I was disagreeable to it.
Some say the Indy Devs will keep the flame lit... that will only be true if they remember why they're an Indy Studio and not working for the big guys... so we'll see.
Enjoy Nariusseldon... your dreams have come true.
Kyleran... I see your point, but I don't want a forest of gaming with all sorts of different "trees"... I just want the old Oak forest of MMORPGs. Maybe this is the forest fire that will bring new life to the genre.
It's not like mmorpg is going to go away. It is a genre, just like 2D/3D fighters, that people want to play. And even if it falls out of the public spotlight there is going be content to consume.
I'm not saying SWTOR, AoC, War, Wildstar, etc etc was a failure, but it did not live up to the success it was built for. Most of the AAA mmorpg games being built within the last decade has aimed for subscribers in the millions. At least get a piece of the WoW cake. This did not happen, and now they have stopped trying.
But these indie titles we are now looking forward to, Chronicles of Elyria, Crowfall, Gloria Victis, Pantheon, Camelot Unchained, The Repopulation, and so on... they can not compete with the same quality bar set by the AAA games we have seen so far. They are aiming at a lot more niche market, and the budget is just not there.
And that is fine.
A lot of them is going on experimental grounds, taking innovative risks the big publishers didn't want to take. But that also means a lot of it is not going to work out just the way you want it, or expect it.
Yeh .. modern entertainment is great. SO many variety of games. SO many good tv shows (including netflix). So many good movies.
I don't understand why some will just stuck to ONE small narrow slice of entertainment. But hey, that is your prerogative. In my view, you are missing out. In fact, just look at how many good games are coming out. And i know I am not the only one who play non-MMOs (even with the broadened definition) here.
I agree. Even Blizz is no longer making a new MMORPG, and instead focus on other types of online games (a MOBA, card game, and a shooter).
AHA!!! Finally admitted to it.
Lol.
I think he just accidentally dropped the act for a moment. Don't worry, he'll remember where he is soon enough.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
Well ideas for new mmorpgs are running out, but mmorpgs are not dying Lol. Actually mmorpgs are getting more populated by players. in 2016 there's a good amount of mmorpgs coming out that im waiting for and im actually kind of happy that there are no big wave of mmorpgs coming out. MMORPGs are meant to be played long time, not few months and then switch ships. Many mmorpgs coming out just hurt each other. Imagine if there was no ArcheAge people would still be in Tera or Aion, now they left to ArcheAge saw it was money sucking game and left it and are currently sitting in the air waiting for Black desert.
MMOs overall may have a larger population, but there are also more games available. The increased population is much more spread out. Players are also not sticking around for years in individual games anymore.
The end result is the overall genre has more players, the individual games do not.
At least in the west, upcoming titles are only from "smaller" developers, and targets a more niche crowd. It's either that, or rehashed games from Korea/China.
I feel single player games are on the rise and trending, once again.
I think this is a good thing, perhaps we will see more diversity in mmos again, and less "Top 10 anticipated mmos of XXXX" videos on youtube now.
I'm looking forward to more diversity in MMOs too, but I think it's a bit of a jump to say that this is the end of mainstream MMOs. There are more and more MMOs coming out all the time, some from small companies, some from AAAs like NCSoft, Daybreak, and Trion.
I think the only real issue (aside from the fanbase getting watered down) is that the market is so flooded, it's difficult for most of the true gems to rise to the surface.
I suppose you could say sub-based games are nearing their end, but that's no surprise. People have been saying that for years. But just because there's a new business model doesn't mean it's the end of the genre. MMOs are very much alive and well in both mainstream and niche markets.
Most western mmo's post World of Warcraft was (is) mainstream mmo's. They try to cater to everyone, the young the old, the single player, the hardcore and the ones that only have 30 minutes of gaming time at weekends. Which is why they end up feeling, for the most part, very bland.
At about 2006/2007, or, around that time, it seemed like every publisher (and their grandmother) announced a new and "better" mmo. Hence we got the term "wow killer".
We saw the rise (and fall) of big budget titles, such as, Warhammer online, Age of Conan, Guild wars 1/2, Tabula Rasa, Neverwinter, DC Universe, City of Heroes, The Eldar Scrolls Online, Rift, Defiance, Star Trek Online, Star Wars the Old Republic, Lord of the rings online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Wildstar, Global Agenda, and more..
During this era it was common for several big budget western mmorpg titles to be released within the same year. But alas, no one managed to claim the title "wow killer".
Just a clarification: from all the games you've mentioned City of Heroes is the only one that actually came out before WoW so it was never designated as a "WoW killer". And it was never intended to be as such, design wise. It was always a very special and innovative game with it's own niche following up until the end. As for the reasons of it's demise, it's actually a very big subject that's been discussed to death in various gaming sites/forums.
And what you mean by fall exactly? Afaik GW2 is pretty strong in the market right now.
Comments
LoL hit it big. WoT hit it somewhat big. Healthstone hit it big. Heck, even TOR hit it somewhat big. There are lots of successes besides WoW .. though i have to say WOW is the biggest of them all.
They have the most important aspect of MMO - persistent shared world. But take it much further than previous MMOs did ( with few shining exceptions like SWG, UO or Wurm)
Crowfall is essentially taking the page of that book as well.
GW2 still has lots of players, the maps are still full, so it seems you have not looked into it after HoT release.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky
I would say RPG players were most dissapointed with MMOs. Along with PvP players.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky
Maybe they should be. Or maybe the budgets are just headed East.
But personally, I'd rather shovel dirt over the prophets of darkness and despair.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I wasn't a kid or a teenager when I started playing MMORPGs, I was in my thirties, married with children, full time job, mortgage, etc. I never could put in some of the time others did but I absolutely fell in love with MMORPGs as a hobby like my Uncle had fallen in love with radio controlled model airplanes a generation before. MMORPGs to me were the PnP games I loved to play in my twenties gone digital and online.
I made a decision literally decades ago to never purchase/play console games (I see it as a money pit), I never liked just FPSs, never enjoyed just RTSs, I tried MOBAs and didn't like them, I don't really like singleplayer RPGs because I can get a better story reading a book. MMORPGs to me were never about "Story" they were about real people joining together to enjoy a virtual world and play a game in that virtual world, and once in a while RP a little. I played Skyrim for a while but STEAM to me is nothing more than an online Console gaming system and I despise that kind of thing, so my copy of Skyrim went in the trash. I see nothing else I find interesting to switch to. This is why I usually prefer to refer to myself as a MMORPG Player rather than a Gamer. Gamers play everything. I don't.
MMORPGs are the only genre I enjoy in online gaming. I play nothing but MMORPGs consistently because that's what I like and that's what drew me to Online gaming in the first place. When MMORPGs are gone then I'm gone from online gaming as well.
That's why when some people say MMOs can be any kind of game I take it rough. That's why as MMORPG.com has started broadening it's news coverage of gaming I was disagreeable to it.
Some say the Indy Devs will keep the flame lit... that will only be true if they remember why they're an Indy Studio and not working for the big guys... so we'll see.
Enjoy Nariusseldon... your dreams have come true.
Kyleran... I see your point, but I don't want a forest of gaming with all sorts of different "trees"... I just want the old Oak forest of MMORPGs. Maybe this is the forest fire that will bring new life to the genre.
It is a genre, just like 2D/3D fighters, that people want to play.
And even if it falls out of the public spotlight there is going be content to consume.
I'm not saying SWTOR, AoC, War, Wildstar, etc etc was a failure,
but it did not live up to the success it was built for.
Most of the AAA mmorpg games being built within the last decade has aimed for
subscribers in the millions. At least get a piece of the WoW cake.
This did not happen, and now they have stopped trying.
But these indie titles we are now looking forward to,
Chronicles of Elyria, Crowfall, Gloria Victis, Pantheon,
Camelot Unchained, The Repopulation, and so on...
they can not compete with the same quality bar set by the AAA games we have seen so far.
They are aiming at a lot more niche market, and the budget is just not there.
And that is fine.
A lot of them is going on experimental grounds,
taking innovative risks the big publishers didn't want to take.
But that also means a lot of it is not going to work out just the way you want it, or expect it.
Yeh .. modern entertainment is great. SO many variety of games. SO many good tv shows (including netflix). So many good movies.
I don't understand why some will just stuck to ONE small narrow slice of entertainment. But hey, that is your prerogative. In my view, you are missing out. In fact, just look at how many good games are coming out. And i know I am not the only one who play non-MMOs (even with the broadened definition) here.
I think he just accidentally dropped the act for a moment. Don't worry, he'll remember where he is soon enough.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
The end result is the overall genre has more players, the individual games do not.
I think the only real issue (aside from the fanbase getting watered down) is that the market is so flooded, it's difficult for most of the true gems to rise to the surface.
I suppose you could say sub-based games are nearing their end, but that's no surprise. People have been saying that for years. But just because there's a new business model doesn't mean it's the end of the genre. MMOs are very much alive and well in both mainstream and niche markets.
Just a clarification: from all the games you've mentioned City of Heroes is the only one that actually came out before WoW so it was never designated as a "WoW killer". And it was never intended to be as such, design wise. It was always a very special and innovative game with it's own niche following up until the end. As for the reasons of it's demise, it's actually a very big subject that's been discussed to death in various gaming sites/forums.
And what you mean by fall exactly? Afaik GW2 is pretty strong in the market right now.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
My Review Manifesto
Follow me on Twitter if you dare.
If you're talking about the one that we all think you're talking about, then you'll get a lot of scrutiny around here for just calling it an MMO.