Post by Morreion on Aug 17, 2010 9:43:42 GMT -5
Not all MMOs have to be McMMOs (Keen & Graev's Gaming Blog)
I find it funny that a couple hundred thousand players in an MMO is often portrayed as a failure due to WoW's huge numbers. Pre-WoW, that's a solid game, and it really still is. Just because you're not incredibly rich doesn't mean you aren't making a good living
The point is, you can make a successful game without being The Next Big Thing.
No question about it, McDonalds makes more money and has more customers. Does that mean this local place shouldn’t bother anymore? Does that mean they shouldn’t have expanded or that they should stop opening new locations?
See what I’m getting at? MMO’s don’t need a million subs to be a success. MMO’s don’t need mechanics that will attract a million subs. It’s no different from my analogy. There can be the smaller businesses that do just fine with amazing quality and exactly what people want. I’ve never eaten food anywhere that tastes like this local mexican food — their burritos are 100% unique.
So when someone tells me that I’m out of touch when I say that a company can bring back what worked in EQ and have a successful MMO today, I say it’s they who are out of touch.
You can make a MMO using the exact same model as EQ and it would be a success today if it was polished and finished. Vanguard is proof of that. Look at the following that game had before launch and the initial response it had. It was only because the game was half finished and lacked polish that it failed.
Designing games to be the next big thing or designing them with the mindset that you want 10 million subs is destroying them. It’s not helping the games or the industry to only allow McMMO’s the right to exist.
You do not make a 10 million subscriptions game. You make a great game and 10 million people subscribe. This is why EQ and DAOC did so well.
See what I’m getting at? MMO’s don’t need a million subs to be a success. MMO’s don’t need mechanics that will attract a million subs. It’s no different from my analogy. There can be the smaller businesses that do just fine with amazing quality and exactly what people want. I’ve never eaten food anywhere that tastes like this local mexican food — their burritos are 100% unique.
So when someone tells me that I’m out of touch when I say that a company can bring back what worked in EQ and have a successful MMO today, I say it’s they who are out of touch.
You can make a MMO using the exact same model as EQ and it would be a success today if it was polished and finished. Vanguard is proof of that. Look at the following that game had before launch and the initial response it had. It was only because the game was half finished and lacked polish that it failed.
Designing games to be the next big thing or designing them with the mindset that you want 10 million subs is destroying them. It’s not helping the games or the industry to only allow McMMO’s the right to exist.
You do not make a 10 million subscriptions game. You make a great game and 10 million people subscribe. This is why EQ and DAOC did so well.
I find it funny that a couple hundred thousand players in an MMO is often portrayed as a failure due to WoW's huge numbers. Pre-WoW, that's a solid game, and it really still is. Just because you're not incredibly rich doesn't mean you aren't making a good living
The point is, you can make a successful game without being The Next Big Thing.
