Not every MMO that has prematurely passed away deserved this fate. Often, the time just wasn’t right or there were misconceptions about the game. To ensure that we don’t forget these lost gems of MMO history, MeinMMO presents a selection of games that left us far too soon.
Every year a few service games and MMOs are shut down for various reasons. Often, it’s due to a lack of success and poor implementation of promised features that ultimately lead to the death of an MMO. In 2021, several games were buried, and as early as the beginning of 2022, the first game was affected.
However, not every game deserved its end. Some were true gems that are still mourned by their fans. A few of the most important games in this category will be briefly introduced in the following paragraphs.
How was the selection made? Our selection is primarily based on games that did not simply die due to lack of love in implementation and the resulting player base decline. We will cover games that had, among other things, a great core idea, a particularly lovable implementation, or other features that were generally well received. However, they were doomed to die due to other adverse circumstances.
WildStar
What kind of game was it? WildStar was a large MMORPG developed by Carbine Studios. Many former WoW developers worked there. Their goal: To develop a second large MMORPG like WoW. However, the setting was a bizarre sci-fi world where a wicked empire and a band of rebels wanted to colonize a new, unknown planet.
There were many areas of the planet Nexus to explore, with various PvP activities. The highlight of WildStar was the fast-paced action combat system, the humorous story, and the vibrant setting. Additionally, the developers aimed to return MMORPGs to their roots: with challenging content and massive 40-player raids.
What was so great about it? WildStar captivated players from the start with its crazy, vibrant appearance. The game never took itself too seriously and had a lot of humor – albeit crude and dark humor.
For instance, there was a quest where a space hamster lying on the grill gives numerous quests but does not want to get off the grill because it’s “done”.
Or the delightfully greedy and extremely capitalistic Protostar company, which tried every ridiculous gimmick to squeeze money out of your hero.
If you preferred solid action, you could unleash yourself in the wonderfully dynamic combat system. WildStar had one of the best and most sophisticated combat systems in the MMORPG genre to this day. Only what was directly in front of the weapon was hit.
Prominent telegraph indicators that clearly displayed where an attack lands were necessary to get the most out of your heroes.
Furthermore, you had to dodge attacks and catch them in other ways. Just standing there and putting out the rotation never led to success in WildStar.
Another highlight that is sorely missed: WildStar had brilliant housing in which you could let your creativity run wild. You had a flying plot of land and could fill it with all sorts of stuff. Some players even built a bar where their guild was hosted.
Why did it have to die? Unfortunately, the developers made a crucial mistake and underestimated how quickly players churn through content nowadays. What would have lasted for months during the WoW release time was quickly completed in WildStar’s era, and soon after the release, players wanted more. However, the supply ran dry and did not come in sufficient quantities.
Furthermore, some of the hardcore features were far too harsh for many casual players, and the particularly demanding raids in the endgame were never played by the majority of players.
Additionally, there was a reason why 40-player raids were no longer featured in WoW and other games. It is simply extremely stressful to organize and execute. Only a small minority of players truly wanted that back, and this community alone was not enough to support WildStar.
The great success remained out of reach, and even a switch to free-to-play did not bring a long-term turnaround. Therefore, on November 28, 2018, four years after release, the servers of WildStar were permanently shut down.
However, fans are still calling for a revival of the game.
Even today, I remember well my first steps in WildStar:
WildStar was the first MMORPG I worked with professionally. I wrote – back then at Buffed – about the closed beta of the game and for a long time tried unsuccessfully to gain access. Once it finally happened, I spent many hours in the beta and enjoyed every minute.
Especially the excellent combat system will stay with me forever. Since then, most other MMORPGs feel slow and boring. In WildStar, it was simply a blast to dance around the enemies and unleash devastating combos at the right moment.
No MMORPG has impressed me so much since then.
Jürgen Horn, editor at MeinMMO
