The three big MMORPGs World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV and Star Wars: The Old Republic are undergoing major changes in 2020 to remain relevant. This is not only important for the games themselves but for the entire genre.
To put it bluntly: The heyday of MMORPGs is over. While new games in the genre continue to emerge, the major AAA titles are lacking, and new releases often have to struggle to attract enough players to keep the operation sustainable in the long term. Sometimes they fail to do so, see Bless Online.
Of course, there are still the major MMORPGs that have their loyal fanbase and celebrate successes:
- World of Warcraft
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Star Wars: The Old Republic
Yet even these games are undergoing some changes in 2020 to remain important in the future. We summarize these changes for you and explain why they are so significant for the entire genre.
World of Warcraft
What changes is the MMORPG undergoing in 2020? With the 8th expansion Shadowlands, not only are new contents coming to the game, there are also several improvements to the onboarding experience:
- New starting area “Exile’s Reach”, where beginners can take their first steps and experience adventures that introduce them to the story and the war between Alliance and Horde.
- Fewer levels – You will no longer level up 120 times, but 50 (and with Shadowlands 60). Leveling up will be accompanied by better rewards.
- Chromie Time – You choose where you want to level up your character and can even select an addon for this. This leads to a more focused questing experience with more freedom in the area you prefer.
What do players think about these changes? Changes in WoW are generally heatedly discussed. Not everyone is happy that there will be fewer levels or that abilities will be changed. Innovations are always a topic that stirs strong emotions.
- Voidy comments on MeinMMO regarding the reduction of levels: “I think it’s good. Currently, there’s a huge gap between 100 and 120. No unlocks, abilities, talents… The character is already ‘finished’ after Legion. I’d rather have a little more every 1-2 levels than just a higher number.”
- Cachucamaru_Priest states on reddit about the introduction of Exile’s Reach that he was able to test: “It takes you through the whole experience like on rails: While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it takes away a bit of the ‘player agency’ Blizzard talked about at BlizzCon. Furthermore, leveling goes too quickly, and progress ends too abruptly.”
Final Fantasy XIV
What changes is the MMORPG undergoing in 2020? On August 11, the major update 5.3 is released, which expands the trial of the MMORPG:
- You can play all jobs and classes from Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn including the Dark Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist.
- You will level up to the new trial maximum level 60 (current maximum level is 80).
- You will experience all quests from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward including Patch 3.56.
- The raids “Twisted Shadows of Bahamut”, Crystal Tower, Nothing’s Ark, and Alexander are available to you on normal and epic difficulty.
- You will complete 49 dungeons from ARR and HW.
- You can use all equipment up to level 60.
What do players think about these changes? The new trial is received very well in the community of the MMORPG:
- SamXV1 states on reddit: “The new Free Trial will surely bring many new players, especially since they can play Heavensward.”
- Save writes: “I believe that the Free Trial essentially makes the game a free 100+ hour JRPG with one of the best FF stories in the Heavensward expansion.”
Star Wars: The Old Republic
What changes is the MMORPG undergoing in 2020? On July 21, the MMORPG SWTOR launches on Steam. And it’s been very successful. Already at launch, over 25,000 players were playing simultaneously on Valve’s platform.
The Steam launch opens the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic to many new players who use Steam. Players are enjoying the significantly improved Free2Play experience that came about last year, which has far fewer restrictions. So those who just want to enjoy their character’s story don’t necessarily need to spend a cent.
What do players think about these changes? The Steam launch has been very well received by players. This is already shown by SteamDB with a peak of concurrent players at 34,210.
- ValidAvailable explains on reddit: “Just keep in mind: All these new accounts mean new players in the Flashpoints. So don’t be rude to them if they really want to play rather than conducting another farm run from the spammers’ station.”
- Thorwoofie comments: “I think it’s time to return and see how it’s going with this ‘injection’ of new players on a platform that offers much greater visibility than before. I’m excited about this step by EA to bring SWTOR to Steam.”
What does this mean for the games and the MMORPG genre?
MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits analyzes what these changes could mean for the games and the genre:
The benefits for the games: MMORPGs thrive on having as many players as possible. However, these players need motivation to check out an online game – especially if it has been running for several years and has a devoted community.
Expanding and making a Free Trial more attractive, as is the case with FF14, can certainly bring a strong influx of players.
Also, offering a game on a platform as popular as Steam leads to new players, as can be seen from the numbers of SWTOR.
And improving the onboarding experience in an MMORPG that has been running for many years is also a good idea to attract new players – even if, as in the case of World of Warcraft, not all veterans are pleased with it.
These could be the benefits for the genre: Seeing that major MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft, and Star Wars: The Old Republic can gain new players with some adjustments gives hope that the genre can return to its former glory.
The interest of players seems to be there, as SWTOR shows. The necessary adjustments to the game just need to be made to increase interest.
Whether the planned changes will lead to more players for WoW and FF14 will be seen when the adjustments go live. If that happens, it’s a very good sign for the entire MMORPG genre.
Maybe we will also see many players in upcoming MMORPGs. Which MMOs and MMORPGs are the most promising in 2020 and 2021, we reveal in a list.
