Only a few MMORPGs can establish themselves permanently – the golden age of the genre seems to be over. Brad McQuaid, the Executive Producer of Pantheon, has commented on this.
Everquest veteran explains the genre’s problems
Brad McQuaid is known as the lead designer of the MMORPG classic EverQuest. Anyone who is a fan of the genre should have heard of Everquest – it is the oldest successful MMORPG with 3D graphics and practically the founder of this type of game. Especially WoW considers Everquest its main source of inspiration and has clearly taken root from it.
As the head of such a milestone, McQuaid is able to analyze the current status of the MMO market. His main criticism targets the cowardice of developers. No one dares to do something that might not please some people anymore.
An example of doing it right: Blizzard
As McQuaid says, it’s important for developers to stop promoting overpriced “WoW-killers.” Even Blizzard itself ultimately stopped doing this. The “Project Titan” was originally supposed to become the big “WoW 2.0”: an MMORPG that would be even better than the in-house genre leader World of Warcraft.
However, after many years of development, Blizzard itself realized that it makes little sense to try to outdo WoW with Titan. They have already tapped the MMO market as far as it’s possible. Thus, the only logical consequence was to cancel Titan and fill new positions.
Braid continues: The development of WoW has also changed over the years. After the “good things” like patches, new races and classes, Blizzard started a different strategy. The game was to be opened up to a larger audience – at the expense of some familiar features. Blizzard itself noticed that this hasn’t been very successful.
What other developers are doing now is to follow precisely Blizzard’s path: They try to dilute the core of the MMO so much that they no longer offend anyone.
An example of doing it poorly: “WoW-killers”
In principle a good idea. But what remains when you take away everything that makes an MMO an MMO?
- Some people don’t like community. So the community is removed.
- Some people don’t like groups. So groups are removed.
- Some people don’t like to spend days or even weeks with their character to obtain the best gear. So the endgame is pulled forward as much as possible, and the strongest items can be bought with real money or are available at every corner.
Modern “post-WoW” MMOs lack depth. The time invested in a character builds personal attachment. The features discovered or learned to use become part of the game. Friendships develop through playing with others. All of this is missing in most modern multiplayer games, according to the Everquest veteran.
MMOs were never meant to please “everyone.” Just like shooters or strategy games.
Those who enjoyed them did so because of the grind, the social aspects, and the character development – not in spite of these elements.
How it was once done well: classics with a solid community
Modern developers should have the courage to say that they are not better – but different. They should highlight what makes them special. Refer back to their origins, bind the interests of the players.
McQuaid advises MMORPG developers to choose a target audience – and then develop for them.
The game does not have to become the next WoW-killer to be good. It must convince with what it is. If it measures itself against a giant and tries to inflate itself, one should not be surprised about much hot air.
An example of doing it better: Pantheon
Finally, McQuaid takes his own current project “Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen” as an example. His team focuses on the “E” in “PvE”. This is exactly what he wants. Pantheon is to become a game in which players can fully engage in battling the engine.
Other games focus on role-playing or PvP – and that’s fine too. He emphasizes the contrast that the games have with each other. There is room for all these games, and everyone who chooses one of them has reasons for it.
From his perspective, it makes little sense to throw oneself into the mass of already existing MMOs for “everyone.” A unique selling point promises much greater success.
We are eagerly watching whether Pantheon develops into what McQuaid promises – or whether it drifts into the gray uniformity.
More about Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen:
Pantheon: The last hope for ‘Oldschool PvE’ and EverQuest fans?
