The new MMO New World has been very successful on Steam. This has also caught the attention of the creators of other online games, such as the Creative Director of Elder Scrolls Online. Rich Lambert, however, believes that the success of New World is actually quite good, both for players and for his game.
This is how successful New World is:
- On September 28, New World was released and climbed to the top of the Steam charts, briefly displacing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
- At its peak, New World had over 913,000 players simultaneously (via steamcharts.com).
- The surge of players for New World was so great that huge queues kept players waiting for hours.
- Currently, New World is facing some issues, but is working on resolving them.
In an interview with the Washington Post, the Creative Director of ESO, Rich Lambert, spoke about his own game as well as the success of New World. He also explained what makes a good MMO.
Competition is “good for the consumer”
This is what the creator of ESO says: The conversation was actually about the upcoming ESO expansion Deadlands. However, Lambert also touched upon the new MMO New World and its success. When asked what he thinks about it, Lambert replied:
“First of all: Competition is good. Healthy. Good for the consumer. The second you stop feeling like you need to prove yourself and improve your product is the second it starts to go downhill.
That’s why I think [the success of New World] is fantastic and we need more successful games in the genre to earn the trust of the players. To shake things up a bit, get the creative juices flowing, and all that.”
How do ESO and other MMORPGs become better because of this? Lambert explains that the success of an MMO depends on giving the community what they want. A look at a strong competitor can provide insight into what is currently well-received.
The conversation touches on Final Fantasy XIV, which recently received a surge of new players. Lambert says: “They generally do a lot right. They know what game they want to be. They embrace that. And the fans who want exactly that kind of game know where to find it.”
MeinMMO editor Gerd Schuhmann explains in his column why the success of New World should be an inspiration for other MMOs:
“The key is to understand the community”
What makes a good MMO? For an MMO to be good, the development teams need to understand their community and give them what they want. That is what makes a good game. That and showing that you are constantly working to improve everything.
For ESO, this means working more on the story. According to Lambert, players are currently most interested in that – or at least that is the team’s assessment. Therefore, two of the 4 annual updates focus on the story of ESO.
New World also seems to be on a good path here. Currently, there is a need to play with friends or a familiar group. This was hardly possible due to the full servers at launch, and many groups fell apart.
Now developer Amazon is offering free server transfers, which allow players to reunite. These transfers should later be available for purchase – or even be free again if the need arises.
What’s next for ESO and New World? New World is currently working to fix the release issues and correct the errors. Some players have already reached the level cap, but most are still on their way there.
After that, they will have numerous endgame activities available, which Amazon will likely add to next.
ESO, on the other hand, is working on the finale of the current expansion. With Deadlands, the story surrounding the deaths of Oblivion will conclude – and fans will once again face the major villain Mehrunes Dagon, whom they will confront in his own realm this time. In our hub on MeinMMO, you will find all the information about it:
Everything about the new DLC Deadlands – release, content, sets, and update 32
