A French MMO study has now been released, examining nearly all major MMO launches from the last three years and arriving at some interesting conclusions. Older players are significantly more critical than younger ones, but they are also much more generous.
Three months after the respective launch, French players of 9 MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV, WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online, or Planetside 2 were asked how they liked the game (only Tera, The Secret World, and ArcheAge were omitted from the larger launches). The survey yielded interesting results:
How satisfied were gamers with the MMO launches in 2012, 2013, and 2014?
- The best launch, both in terms of Meta-Critic score and fan reception, in recent years was Guild Wars 2. Followed by Final Fantasy XIV and Planetside 2.
- At the other end of the scale: Neverwinter, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Defiance.
- Critics and fans are almost always in agreement. SWTOR was liked a bit more by critics than by fans, while it was the opposite for Defiance.
- Interesting statistic: Only players who genuinely like a game plan to play it for more than a few months. Whether one is “pretty disappointed, really disappointed, or kind of in-between” makes little difference. Players who rate the game at least 8 out of 10 points prove to be loyal.
Age makes grumpy
- The average MMO player is 28.
- The oldest gamers are found in TESO, with an average age of 33.
- Older players tend to be more dissatisfied with the game than younger ones. However, they buy the Collector’s Edition much more frequently.
- Among subscription games, most gamers agreed that it is truly a pay-to-play game. Only a quarter of the surveyed players wanted TESO and WildStar to switch to free-to-play. For Final Fantasy XIV, it was even just 8%.
Solo players instead of world savers
- Players rarely feel that their actions have direct impacts on the world in MMORPGs. In WildStar, only 8% agree with such a statement; in Final Fantasy XIV, it’s as low as 6%. In the MMO shooter Planetside 2, however, 61% believe they can influence the world. Surprisingly high: Guild Wars 2 with 49%.
- Almost every MMO is seen favourably by fans for solo play. 19 out of 20 surveyed players would agree with such a statement for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Similarly suited for solo players: GW2 (94%) and Neverwinter (93%). A bit less solo-friendly are TESO (83%) and WildStar (64%).
For the complete results of the French study, click here (gamestatistics.fr).
