The Next Big Thing in MMOs?

[Morreion]

The Digital Continuum: The 'Next Big Thing' in MMOs (Massively)

Is All Points Bulletin the "Next Big Thing" in MMOs? While I'm fully aware that Realtime Worlds doesn't specifically prefer to associate the game with this genre, it's very much a part of it -- but it also orbits the fringes of what we commonly refer to as a massively multiplayer online game.

Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 and All Points Bulletin come from a different school of business models. These games hinge on the idea that most people dislike coughing up 15 bucks a month to keep playing their favorite title. Just look to the success of the original Guild Wars, having a year ago passed six million copies sold. That's a pretty great start for non-subscription MMOs, and because of that success we now have GW's sequel and APB on the way.

Over the last few years there's been a shift in business models from the standard $15-a-month subscription towards microtransactions. Many western MMOs have incorporated them into their business models somehow, and other newer games have begun to rely on them almost entirely. The success of APB (and potential follow-up success of GW2) will definitely add some much-needed subscription model variety into the industry, which is never a bad thing. Don't get the wrong idea here, I'm not saying that microtransactions will die out by any stretch of the imagination. What I am saying, however, is that game companies will begin to consider the GW/APB model more earnestly as the culmination of several MMOs asking for a dollar or three here and there begins to weigh on players.

[Oatik]

I don't like having a sub to more than one game at a time, so it would be nice to play some games without a subscription fee, it would sure be easier to rotate around and play whatever you felt like.

[Morreion]

Same here, Oat- I'd be happy to pay a good-sized game price if it came with no subscription fees. Or be like Guild Wars, buy the 'box' and then have to buy an expansion 'box' every 6 months or so.

[Regolyth]

Recently I've went back to playing console games. I just don't have the time to devote to MMOs, like it needs. I've been having a lot of fun with games like Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2 and even goofy games like Little Big Planet. It's a really nice break from the MMO grind, and cheaper too.

[Morreion]

I hear you, Regolyth- I've been playing some single-player games on Steam recently. There's no pressure to keep playing because you are subscribed.

[Regolyth]

Feb 19, 2010 9:02:58 GMT -5 Morreion said:

There's no pressure to keep playing because you are subscribed.

Which oddly enough, I find myself playing more of them. Maybe they're just better games than MMOs in today's market (games like WoW, DAoC, etc. aside, because I've played years worth of them at this point).

[Morreion]

I hope that non-subscriber MMOs become the norm. Buy the box or the digital download, and then buy expansions or adventure packs once or twice a year with no subscription. I'd go for that in a heartbeat!