On December 5th, the servers of the MMORPG Dragon’s Dogma Online were shut down. Unfortunately, the game never made it to the West, even though the MMORPG received much acclaim.
What kind of MMORPG was it? Dragon’s Dogma Online was a Japanese MMORPG that placed a lot of emphasis on an action combat system and challenging battles. It was released on August 31, 2015, and published by Capcom.
The game was not a classic MMORPG. In hubs, you could meet other players and form a group to explore the world, similar to Guild Wars 1. In the actual areas and missions, you did not encounter other players outside your group.
In terms of story, Dragon’s Dogma Online took place in a parallel world to the singleplayer Dark Arisen.
Why have I never heard of this MMORPG? Dragon’s Dogma never released in the West. Besides Japan, Taiwan also set up its own servers in 2016. However, the MMORPG did not go beyond that.
In our region, Dragon’s Dogma Online could only be played via VPN. Many players did so and even rated the game positively, as seen here in the video by TheLazyPeon:
Tough Bosses but also Tough Monetization
What was special about this MMORPG? Dragon’s Dogma Online placed a lot of emphasis on group play and tough boss fights. Those who were on their own could create a group of NPCs (Pawns), but eventually, the boss battles became too difficult even with them.
A major focus was on the Holy Trinity of Tank, Healer, and DD. The RPG was praised for its innovative classes, which allowed players to leap onto bosses or create jump platforms.
Bosses were attacked not only on the ground but also directly on their backs or other body parts. This made for varied and very challenging battles.
What did it fail at? Dragon’s Dogma Online was primarily criticized for its strong monetization and long grind. In addition to loot boxes, there were also boosters that could bring players directly to max level.
However, leveling in the MMORPG took an extremely long time, making this booster a real advantage.
The official reason for the shutdown was, according to Capcom, that it had become difficult to continue providing a satisfactory service. However, it is speculated that it was no longer profitable enough. Dragon’s Dogma Online is not the first MMORPG to leave us in 2019.
Is Dragon’s Dogma 2 coming now? As reported by Gamestar, the game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, who was also responsible for Devil May Cry 5, would like to develop a sequel to Dragon’s Dogma.
Apparently, this has already been discussed internally. Whether it will actually happen, however, is uncertain.
Fans of the series can look forward to an anime series on Netflix, which Capcom is developing together with the streaming service.
