In recent months and years, most new releases in the MMORPGs were games for smartphones. This will surprise very few, as the mobile market is huge. But are mobile MMORPGs really the future of the genre? And what needs to change for them to be accepted by us?
What does the MMORPG market look like currently? If we look at the new releases for MMORPGs on PC and consoles since the beginning of 2019, the release list here in the West is surprisingly short:
- Legends of Aria left Early Access on Steam
- WoW Classic was released for PC
- Astellia was released for PC
- Bless Unleashed was released for Xbox One
- Phantasy Star Online 2 was released for PC and Xbox One, 8 years after its release in Japan
- V4 by Nexon was released for PC, iOS, and Android
The gap created by fewer games and especially by rarely successful PC MMORPGs is increasingly being filled by new mobile MMORPGs:
- In 2019, three titles with big names from PC MMORPGs were released: Perfect World Mobile, Lineage 2M, and Black Desert Mobile. All are also significantly higher quality than many of the mobile MMORPGs before.
- In 2020, another well-known MMORPG for smartphones was released: EVE Echoes. This managed to fully convince me, Alexander Leitsch, in the first test.
- The trend with big names is especially continued by NCSoft. The company plans new mobile titles for Aion and Blade & Soul.
- Alongside the big names, numerous other titles have been released, including Dragon Raja and Talion Online, which we have played for you at MeinMMO.
The trend towards smartphones is not surprising when looking at the entire gaming market. However, it is striking that all these mobile titles come from Asia, mostly Korea or China.
The mobile market is booming, not just in Asia
This is how gaming looks: As the analysis website Newzoo showed in May 2020, about 48% of the revenue in the gaming industry is generated through mobile platforms. This amounts to 77.2 billion dollars. Additionally, the mobile sector is the one that has grown the most compared to the previous year (13.3%).
Most mobile gamers are in Asia, but right behind is Europe and with a significant distance to North and South America, as a graphic from DFC Intelligence shows:
The same study by DFC Intelligence describes that 48% of the now 3 billion gamers worldwide are on PC. However, there is no exact number for mobile gamers because PC and console players often also use a smartphone.
Mobile has arrived in all genres: The mobile trend is not only evident in MMORPGs but also in other genres. Activision achieved with Call of Duty: Mobile the best launch of a mobile game ever, Blizzard is currently working hard on Diablo Immortal and has already revealed that it will not be the last mobile game from the company.
Even a game like League of Legends, which has been solely available on PC for 10 years, announced a mobile version called Wild Rift for 2020.
Why is this so? In today’s time, many more people have a smartphone than, for example, a PC or a console. This is also due to accessibility and usually lower prices. Almost everyone can get into gaming via the small device, even if it’s just with small titles like Peggle or Candy Crush.
Moreover, there are regions like India, where almost only mobile gaming occurs and where over 600 million US dollars are generated on the device (via Moneycontrol).
The better the games for smartphones and also the smartphones themselves become, the more interesting the games will be for “core gamers”. However, this has not succeeded with many of the current mobile MMORPGs, at least here in the West.
Mobile MMORPGs and their problems
Why can no mobile MMORPG actually convince? Although many mobile MMORPGs are sprouting up like mushrooms, hardly any title can convince players from PC MMORPGs.
We repeatedly report on new titles on MeinMMO, but with the word “mobile MMORPG”, many switch off. And I can understand that.
Most of the games are well-made, look visually good, and carry a big name. Yet they all struggle with similar problems:
- Many titles rely on auto-run and auto-play. You usually do not have to play yourself to make progress.
- Mobile MMORPGs are usually not as complex as their bigger brothers.
- Lack of gameplay depth is often covered by intricate grind.
- Many of the titles openly rely on pay-to-win by allowing players to buy equipment, progress, or in-game currency for real money.
I have personally tried dozens of these games and have always looked for a title that binds me long-term. I have mostly returned to RuneScape, which is also due to the fact that it is practically the PC MMORPG for on the go.
Are PC MMORPGs already dead?
What about PC MMORPGs? In recent years, although more and more mobile MMORPGs have been released, there is still something happening on PC. Several promising MMORPGs are in development, including innovative titles such as:
- Ashes of Creation, which has a Node system as a unique feature.
- Camelot Unchained, which aims to build on old school PvP MMORPGs.
- Crimson Desert, which focuses on story in the form of a campaign with multiple heroes.
The problem with all these games is that they are very elaborate and thus have long development times. There is no real release date for any of the titles and already now a release in 2021 seems unlikely.
Are mobile MMORPGs now the future?
Will there only be mobile MMORPGs soon? Although the trend is moving more toward mobile, I do not believe that games developed solely for smartphones are the future.
Rather, I could imagine that crossplay between all platforms, whether PC, console, or smartphone, will prevail.
NCSoft is currently also attempting this with their platform “Purple”. They are essentially providing the emulator for the mobile game directly, so you can play it on PC. However, for me personally, this approach seems backwards. I would prefer a game optimized for PC and then adapted for other platforms.
The perfect mobile MMORPG? But what about a good mobile MMORPG coming from a Western developer? One that avoids problematic features like autoplay and pay-to-win and instead convinces with gameplay?
So far, no such title seems to be in development, even though some games like Albion Online can be played on Android devices.
An innovation that could make mobile MMORPGs more interesting would be utilizing features like in Pokémon GO, i.e. walking in the real world to explore and fight. ArcheAge Walk takes a step in this direction. However, here too, it is a Korean title.
