[MUD-Dev] When will new MMORPGs that are coming out getoriginalwiththe gameplay?

[Damion Schubert]

From: Derek Licciardi

> I think that is a little short sighted.  There are plenty of
> customers clamoring for something better than the crop of
> kill-loot-farm diku MMOs that have been released over the past
> year. (exception TSO - too bad it wasn't a good game design)

> What's really holding things up is that publishers haven't figured
> out the risk management parameters of MMOs so their investment
> strategies stick to what has worked while they get their feet wet
> in the genre.  Remember its a genre where a publisher could make 5
> - 10 single player games for the same money so risk mangement is
> of huge importance.  Their reluctance prevents anything original
> from being released.

As much as I hate to say it, the publishers ARE experimenting.  EA
cancelled UO2 (a fantasy RPG - i.e. a proven market) so that they
could do Majestic, Sims Online, Earth and Beyond and Motor City
Online, all of which they shipped.  Ubisoft is looking ahead to
publishing Uru: Myst Online.  Strategy First tried to reach a new
market with World War II Online.  Sony shipped Planetside, and
supported Sovereign to the tune of 8 digits of funding before they
finally got cold feet.

The problem is multiple-fold:

  1) They are going someplace where they aren't really sure that
  there is a market.

  2) They are going someplace where no one is sure there is a
  workable, fun design that will hit critical mass.

  3) Most of these guys do not know how to think small.  TSO could
  have been done for much, much less, and if so, would have been
  wildly successful.

  4) The market so far has not rewarded them for these experiments.

That's not to say that the execution of the above was flawless.
Quite the above, I think that each of the titles listed above could
have been done much, much better, and I know for certain that in at
least some of these cases, publisher meddling was a huge
contributing factor to the problems they had.  But lets not fool
ourselves into thinking that the publishers don't have wet dreams
about finding the next 'EverQuest'-style monthly income stream from
a previously untapped market.

--d
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