New MMORPGs have a hard time in the market. That is why large development studios and publishers have been hesitant to announce a new AAA MMORPG for years. Using Pantheon and Ashes of Creation as examples, we show how fragmented the MMORPG market is.
Looking at the MMORPG market, one misses the big, new online role-playing games in the style of World of Warcraft. Indie titles compete for fans’ favor yet often do not know whether to rely on classic virtues or innovations.
Ashes of Creation – Innovative, but players still express criticism
Do players want innovations? A good example of the dilemma the industry faces is Ashes of Creation. This highly interesting MMORPG wants to bring fresh air into the genre and could be the MMO that many are waiting for.
- Your actions determine how the regions develop
- Your actions have repercussions on the economy, politics, the world, and even the monster population
- Other players will learn about your actions, which can make you famous or lead to envy
- The combat system is supposed to mix action and strategy. Tab-targeting is supported as well as fast, active fighting
Especially the quests with consequences are an interesting system: This could solve a major problem in MMORPGs. The fact that quests have no consequences and are merely a means to an end to gain items and EXP has held the genre back for years.
And yet, there is a lot of criticism for this: Players claim they just want to log into the MMO, complete quests, slay monsters, and improve their character. They ask:
- Why must this principle be so “complicated”?
- Why do developers want to force weird innovations into a game?
Thus, the rather innovative Ashes of Creation is viewed critically by some readers at MeinMMO:
- Bodycore shares this opinion: “Honestly… Forget it… This type of game cannot offer us demanding PvE players what we are looking for. If PvE is not a focus, the resources to keep us engaged are lacking… I found AoC but I think the money was thrown to the wind. (Wink smiley)”
- Ectheltawar has an interesting opinion: “Sounds good in theory, but I fear it won’t work in practice. If player XY logs into his game at night and only wants to slay something, he depends on someone else to create that condition. And even if it is created, the information must reach that player. Sounds really exciting, but I doubt it will work out well. Ultimately, dungeons and raids, not to mention quests, appeal to a certain type of player. And when they log into their game, they want to do exactly that.”
Innovations yes, but better not
Are classic MMOs more popular? For years, some MMORPG players have hoped for a new, large MMO. But when someone plans a classic MMORPG, other players bring out the argument “innovation.”
Let’s take Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. It could be considered the prime example of a classic MMORPG. It offers everything that defined MMOs in the past and is seen as the spiritual successor to Everquest.
Apart from its outdated graphics, the title should appeal to all those who wish for a classic MMORPG like Pantheon. However, it is then said that the game lacks innovations. It is too old-fashioned, not modern enough, and offers too little new content.
- Mein-MMO reader Yoshi writes: “Even though I wish so much for a real PvE game like FFXIV or limited WoW – Pantheon looks a bit… old-fashioned. Not that it bothers me (maybe it does somewhere), but with such a design, it won’t attract many players – even if they have been waiting for something like this. Not even as a niche game.”
- asdf thinks: “Old school or not. Why do you have to release such ‘gameplay’ videos? The combat system is ridiculously poor. Yes alpha blah, blah, blah, but such things scare people away. To call the fights lame is very polite.”
- Kendryk Young says: “Classic PVE. Oh man, when I read such things… primitive button smashing, where you circle around the opponent – that should be fun for long… Hitting an NPC for hours and not caring about anything sounds like a mobile game.”
It is paradoxical. On one hand, MMO fans want something classic; however, it must not be too classic. And when it comes to innovations, they want them, but not too innovatively.
It shows: The MMORPG market is fragmented. Different groups want completely different games.
Developers in a dilemma
That is why developers are uncertain: It is not surprising that development studios are reluctant to announce a large MMORPG. The costs for developing such a game are enormous, and if you don’t even know who to target with this game, the risk becomes very high.
Sure, there are also players who already like Ashes of Creation and Pantheon and wish for such a game. However, all the negative voices lead to uncertainty. How far can an MMO developer go with innovations? How many classic elements must be included?
The MMORPG market is fragmented. This makes it difficult for developers to create a “large MMORPG” that appeals to many.
Note: We have somewhat “smoothed” the reader quotes in the article, but they remain unchanged in content.
