The start of the Open Beta has given the SF MMORPG WildStar a significant boost in attention. The publisher NCSoft has high expectations for the title, which has seemed relatively quiet until now.
Google’s interest in WildStar has nearly tripled with the start of the Open Beta. Google Trends shows how much a term interests Google users. In the last 90 days, WildStar barely succeeded in generating attention, the so-called buzz.
April was entirely focused on The Elder Scrolls Online. However, from May 7 to 8, that changed rapidly. In Germany, the search term “WildStar” has surpassed the relatively constant competing titles “Guild Wars 2” and “Star Wars: The Old Republic“ In the three months prior, it was roughly at the level of Final Fantasy XIV, which may succeed in Japan, but is treated rather poorly in Germany.
Buzz War among the MMORPGs in Germany
The interest in WildStar comes with a diminishing buzz for The Elder Scrolls Online. In the last few days, WildStar has even managed to surpass the competitor that started with much buzz. Of course, these are not long-term trends. Especially at release or during key events of a title, interest spikes sharply, only to quickly fade again. For the long-term success of a title, it is important to establish itself at a high level.
Key Release for NCSoft
For the publisher of WildStar, NCSoft, the game is of strategically high importance. Besides Guild Wars 2, they primarily have Asian titles in their portfolio, which struggle in the Western market. Sales Manager Simon Cowley stated to the British online site mcvuk.com that the pre-sale figures and the beta feedback from WildStar provide grounds for optimism so far. For NCSoft, WildStar is the “key release,” the most important launch, in the summer. The MMORPG has the potential to become one of the few titles to truly take off on PC in 2014.
