MMP market may be growing with new titles, but it takes a lot for the titles to succeed

By Michael Lafferty

Games evolve, gamers evolve but the fate of games lies in the hands of its players

The massively multiplayer online game market – the one that more usually is termed MMORPG and has persistent worlds – has seen some changes of late. Expect more – many more.

Ultima X Odyssey and Warhammer Online were both recently cancelled. The termination of UXO was not totally unexpected. In keeping an eye on news about the game, it was noticed that the Web site had not been updated since mid-March, and the studio restructuring (wherein the original studio where it was being developed was closed and personnel relocated to another location) resulted in some personnel changes. The game went into a review process where EA looked at all the factors and finally decided to kill the project and re-allocate resources to the granddaddy of the MMPs, Ultima Online.

Warhammer was a bit of a surprise, though. The game was shown at E3 in May and the development team seemed really excited about it. They discussed plans for in-game GMs that could take on the role of a monster players were fighting, radically changing the mob’s tactics in mid-stride. The world was darker, a bit grittier, with intriguing combat zones and job classes that stepped away from the norm.

The decision to terminate the project was the result of a review of the game’s progress and the associated costs. In the end, the development team decided it was best to cut their losses and move on to the next project.

Earlier this year, Microsoft – which was a mere several months away from releasing its Norse mythological-based MMP – decided, after looking at the marketplace and what community share its game would get, to cut its losses and cancel the project.

Most projections show that the MMP market is growing by leaps and bounds. More players are being drawn into the worlds. And when you look at the games being released in the coming year, this was an area many saw growing and have developed games for in anticipation of a solid market share.

Alas, not all games will make it, and the next wave of MMPs may even contribute to the demise of existing titles. If a game is drawing less that 8,000 players in prime-time, and that number severely drops when players gravitate to the next cycle of games, don’t expect the game to last long. But don’t expect the game to close overnight either. Publishers and developers anticipate that gamers within their community will jump over to look at a new game, and hope they will find that game lacking and return.

But unless the market continues its impressive growth in terms of player numbers, many games may find that their loyal but smaller communities cannot counter the costs of maintaining and evolving a game. So, expect more games to drop as we roll through the coming months.

The real trick is to find out what players want from a game and then try to tailor the game to meet those desires while trying to maintain a little individuality.

Blizzard’s development team for World of Warcraft has done a fine job of gleaning what they liked from other MMPs and adapting it to the world they are creating. Other development teams, for Wish and Dragon Empires, are listening to their forums. EverQuest II is drawing on a longer-than-most history in the genre and what its player-base has expressed that they like while evolving the game to meet the needs and desires of the next generation of players.

Ask a dozen clans or player-based guild communities what they want from a persistent-world MMP and you will likely get a dozen different responses.

Some may want housing (UO did it, overdid it, and then re-did it better, and Dark Age of Camelot allowed for terrific housing customization), others may want character customization (City of Heroes has reset the bar in this regard), and still others may look for crafting/trade skills, territory ownership, PvP or an immersive storyline. Throw in diverse professions and leveling skills that create a unique character capable of solo work and group play, quests, game balance, a vast world, and unique monsters and regular content upgrades and you have a partial list of what players may look for.

Is the game merely for the hardcore, power-leveling player, or can casual gamers enjoy stolen moments in the realms? What are the clan dynamics like? Does the world look good?

Creating an MMP takes several years. To work all that time to create a system thought to be viable, only to have it wrecked by players so quickly has to be disheartening. But if there is a constant in this industry it has to be that no game is bulletproof, and gamers will likely find exploits quickly.

Ok, the purpose of this column was to talk about the state of MMPs, not to talk about player responsibility. That topic shall be left to another time.

EverQuest II promises to take the game where no other MMP has gone before

In August we should likely see the beta launch of some prominent MMP titles, like EQ II and perhaps Dragon Empires. EQ II is slated for a mid-September release and this is a game that will draw big numbers fast. The movie clips are phenomenal, and the game promises to take the genre to a level never before seen. Dragon Empires and World of Warcraft are both slated to come out before the holidays. Wish and Dark and Light will be either at the end of the year or in early 2005. And the genre will receive a bigger profile boost with the release of Middle-earth Online in 2005.

Saga of Ryzom, Tabula Rasa, Auto Assault and Guild Wars are all likely to attract attention with creative gameplay and solid looks.

While there are several big titles coming out soon, existing development teams have not been idle. Star Wars Galaxies is releasing the space combat expansion, which will add a whole new look and feel to that title. And Dark Age of Camelot is undergoing a graphical upgrade in December that should completely renovate the look of the game.

Anarchy Online has a big expansion coming out, Alien Invasion, which should increase the challenge of the game, not to mention that the expansion adds some fun and increases the challenge. And Ultima Online is adding a new expansion, which opens up a new set of lands and new professions. 

Those titles standing still will undoubtedly fall. Those titles that offer the same material, the same general gameplay and content, will not succeed. By the time this year is over, with some of the new releases, some titles that have been in release for several years may be on life-support or gone.

Players are getting more discerning. And when a developer like Cryptic comes along and raises the bar in one area (like character customization) that becomes the new standard by which other titles are judged. Tabula Rasa is, according to information at E3, offering in-game voice chat. That will become part of the new consciousness of gamers.

Those playing MMPs are evolving. When one title shows us what is possible in a certain area, that becomes part of what we expect from other games, whether developers like it or not. Will one title offer everything we want in a game? No. But the fun is in watching them try.

As more and more developers read forums, the onus for helping them create the content we want falls on players. Too often forums become a deluge of belittling others, or ranting about what is wrong in a game. The threads that post constructive suggestions for improving the game are relatively few when compared to those flaming someone or something. 

Back in the late 1960s, the television network NBC decided to cancel a series after its second season on the air. Fans of the show put together a huge letter-writing campaign which helped convince NBC to keep Star Trek on the air for a third season. It is, arguably, one of the most celebrated and financially lucrative franchises in the entertainment field. But the point is that fans got involved.

It’s easier today, with forums offered by most game sites. If a MMP you enjoy seems to be diminishing, then instead of being complacent, try to help keep it active. In actuality, whether you like it or not, most decisions on whether to keep a game alive or cancel it are purely business/financial decisions. If the game doesn’t make money, it won’t survive. And games only make money when they are populated with players. That means content that keeps players interested and entertained.

As players you can contribute to the content by using the forums to make suggestions, by starting threads that deal with pertinent issues, not merely complaining.

There is always a chance you may suggest exciting game content, and the game you help keep alive may be one you have invested a lot of time in.

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