It is MMORPG theme week and “wish for something” time. If you have the free choice, which online role-playing game should definitely have a sequel or a remake? And which other franchises would you like to see as a genre representative? Our MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz presents his very own wish list.
The genre of MMORPGs has seen many losers over the decades. Online role-playing games that have fallen short of expectations. Publishers and developers who ran out of steam too early to turn an okay game into an excellent one. Exciting worlds that have sunk into the shadow of World of Warcraft.
At the same time, on the list of MMORPGs that are supposed to be released in the coming months, there is no title that gets me as excited as games like Star Wars: The Old Republic or Warhammer Online once did.
One would have to look much further into the future to even get to a Guild Wars 3 (is that really happening?) or the new MMORPG for the “Lord of the Rings” universe (Amazon Games still has to prove itself).
But which announcement could create that eager tingling? Which online role-playing game deserves a sequel or a remake? Which franchise would be great as a basis for an MMORPG? Share your thoughts with me in the comments! Below, I present my wish list.
These franchises need an MMORPG
I really like the “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series by George R. R. Martin, and the same goes for large parts of the HBO series “Game of Thrones.” An MMORPG with a decent budget that takes us to Westeros to fight for the throne with other factions would be super exciting.
Despite the enormous hype that has developed around GoT (and the also successful spinoff House of the Dragon), no major developer or publisher dares to take on such a project. Instead, so far, there has only been the never-released Game of Thrones: Seven Kingdoms from Bigpoint.
Furthermore, the South Korean company Netmarble is reportedly working on a corresponding MMORPG that is supposed to be released for PC and mobile. It already smells like a generic free-to-play license disaster that no one needs. Such a shame. The great source material (and its fans) deserve better.
Short on cash? Here are some MMORPGs you can play for free:
Warhammer, but the other one
I will come back to Warhammer Online later. Equally as good as fantasy Warhammer, in my view, is also the wonderfully dystopian universe of Warhammer 40K for an MMORPG.
There are plenty of exciting factions. Just like a variety of melee and ranged classes, countless weapon types, magic, and a lore foundation that offers material for thousands of exciting stories. A Space Marine wielding his bolter and a chainsword? The thought of that gets my blood pumping.
Remakes and remasters of well-known MMORPGs
Colleague Benedict already beat the drum for a new MMORPG for the fantasy universe of Warhammer in April 2023. I also find it a shame that Mythic Entertainment and EA did not stick with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Only about five years after the launch, the servers were offline again.
There was a solid foundation to build a great MMORPG from the launch version, with clever features like the trophy system. Will the new project by Jack Emmert (who was with Cryptic Studios for a long time) be able to fill this gap? I like the PvE focus of the developers. I am less thrilled that NetEase is backing Emmert’s studio.
Ultimately, I would also simply settle for a remake of the original Warhammer, with modernized technology, expanded strengths, and a targeted improvement of the existing weaknesses.
Star Trek Online has its fans, but it could never excite our MMORPG expert:
Endless expanses …
Although I am a big fan of the Star Trek franchise and watch the movies and series repeatedly, I have never really warmed up to Star Trek Online. The ground missions weren’t fun for me even at launch, the presentation felt outdated, the space battles were the best part of the game, but ultimately also too fiddly.
I would prefer a kind of Elite Dangerous or No Man’s Sky, with a huge universe where I can move freely with my crew and explore every planet. I want to approach the Enterprise with a shuttle and explore all areas of the spaceship freely. And as part of the Federation fleet, kick the Cardassians’ and Borg’s asses.
These are the four most urgent points on my wish list for upcoming MMORPG projects. What does your wish list look like? In discussions online, I often read about Mass Effect and Dragon Age. For those two franchises, I would rather see great single-player RPGs again. What do you think? If you are looking for current recommendations: The 10 best MMOs and MMORPGs of 2024
