The Korean publisher Kakao Games is known for MMORPGs that use very aggressive monetization strategies and are often pay-to-win. However, they have now invested a lot of money in the company Playable Worlds. This is the studio of Raph Koster and some other legendary MMORPG developers.
What is the investment all about? Raph Koster was the lead designer for Ultima Online (1997) and the creative director for Star Wars Galaxies (2003). Both games are considered pioneers in the MMORPG genre.
In 2019, he founded the company Playable Worlds. Together with other veterans of the genre, he is developing a new sandbox MMORPG, though little is known about it so far.
However, the Korean publisher has now invested a lion’s share of the newly acquired 25 million dollars (about 23.3 million euros) in this company. While the exact amount is not known, it is clear that they believe in Koster’s ideas. In a statement, it says:
We are investing to drive innovation in MMO games and realize new concepts. The technology that Playable Worlds has implemented and proven so far has significantly influenced the investment and will certainly play a role in the development of the metaverse. The caliber of the team behind Raph and Eric [Eric Goldberg, co-founder of Playable Worlds] was ultimately decisive, and we are convinced of their ability to execute.
Statement by Kyehyun Cho, CEO of Kakao Games (via Playable Worlds).
Ultima Online, one of Raph Koster’s games, is one of the old MMORPGs that are still played today:
Kakao Games makes a lot of money with Gacha and Pay2Win
Where does the money come from? Kakao Games gets nearly 50% of their revenue from mobile games, which many see as using pay-to-win approaches:
- Guardian Tales, for example, relies on gacha mechanics for heroes and equipment. Here you need real money and also some luck.
- World Flipper is a type of hero-collector MMO that also relies on gacha.
- The mobile MMORPG ODIN: Valhalla Rising sells mounts with better stats and in-game currency for real money.
The PC MMORPG ArcheAge, which Kakao Games acquired in 2020, is also considered pay-to-win by many due to the direct exchange of real money for in-game currency. The upcoming ArcheAge Worlds, set to release in 2022 with NFTs and play-to-earn, is also criticized by many MMORPG fans:
Why is the investment particularly significant now? Raph Koster, the head of Playable Worlds, is regarded as an old MMORPG veteran and fan. He is rather the type “subscription model” and explained in an interview why the subscription still works.
His new MMORPG will likely rely on a subscription or buy-to-play model, similar to Crowfall, in which Koster was recently involved. However, the lion’s share of the investment for his studio Playable Worlds comes from a company that relies on exactly the opposite, namely free-to-play and aggressive monetization.
What the model will ultimately look like for the MMORPG is still unknown.
MMORPG relies on new brand with modern technology
What is known about the MMORPG exactly? Even nearly three years after its founding, not many details about the game have been revealed:
- It is supposed to be a sandbox world that focuses on features that have already been tested and proven successful in the genre
- The game is supposed to use a new brand
- It should appeal to as many player types as possible, whether adventurers, group players, or PvPers
- It will utilize modern technologies such as AI, cloud, and simulation
- It is supposed to bring community interactions to a new level
What do you think about the existing information regarding Playable Worlds? Are you looking forward to the MMORPG or has Raph Koster long surpassed his peak? Feel free to write it in the comments.
Another MMORPG legend, Richard Garriot, is working on a new game. However, it relies heavily on NFTs and the head explains directly why:
Developer legend makes a new MMORPG with NFTs because there is already a black market on eBay
