Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street was the head of the LoL MMORPG for years. However, in 2023 he left Riot Games and founded his own company, which is now working on a new game. While there are hardly any details, it sounds really good.
“We don’t want to radically change the genre, but we want to do it right,” Ghostcrawler writes in his latest tweet. And that’s exactly what I want to hear from an indie studio. As silly as it sounds, but for really big innovations, you need a company with a lot of money. That probably won’t be the case with a newly founded studio.
Innovations in MMORPGs are always difficult anyway. Many long for their old title in a modern guise, with modern game systems and a new world and new stories. Because nothing is as fun as exploring a new world for the first time.
But even aside from this tweet, Street writes things that sound really good to me. And they give me more hope than the big LoL MMORPG by Riot itself.
“I am not the best developer, but I can listen to players well”
The new game is aimed at MMO fans. At its core, it addresses players who like titles such as WoW or Final Fantasy XIV. Ghostcrawler also wants to reach players who think they don’t like MMORPGs but appreciate at least parts of them.
He emphasizes that they are not creating a game for the “younger generation“, but they won’t be young forever.
Another important aspect is the openness of the development. Players should be involved the whole time. He promises that you can get hands-on experience with the title very early, much earlier than at other companies:
I often use analogies from the restaurant sector, so let’s try it here too. We will have an open kitchen where you can watch the preparation of the dishes and try them on the way.
We know this approach will not please every player. But don’t worry. We will make sure you know when the game is ready so you can try it out.
In several tweets, Greg Street emphasizes that while he may not be the best developer, he sees his strengths in his love for the genre and in communicating with the community. This foundation will guide the development of the new MMORPG.
Dungeons, Raids, and a lot of Action at Launch
What is known about the game’s content? Well, not much, not even a name. However, the launch of the game will likely be very action-packed, as there will not be a launch with many running and talking quests. Generally, worldbuilding will take place over time and not bombard the player too quickly.
This can at least be inferred from a tweet:
A tip: World designers, including dungeon masters, do not send their group to any city with more than 20 NPCs that they have to talk to just a few hours after the game starts. It destroys all momentum.
My opinion: Almost every RPG introduces you too quickly to civilization while players are still learning and enjoying combat.
Let characters engage in battle within a maximum of 15 minutes. Don’t drown new players in world building until they actually care about the world.
And I completely share this opinion. Guild Wars 2 solved this quite elegantly for me by throwing me right into a mission with other players at the start and even fighting a big boss at the end.
I immediately feel that my little section of the world is threatened and that I need to look for the cause. This creates a connection, like as a Charr to the region of Ascalon and the spirits there.
However, I wish that the action continues a bit further afterward. Too quickly, one lands in typical quests and in the first city. Ghostcrawler also has an opinion on this:
Do I want to buy a bunch of equipment from the merchants? I don’t know! I just started your game 30 minutes ago. Does this world work like that? Do I need good gear? Do I want to spend money at the inn or just camp? I damn well don’t know yet.
Our role in the story of Guild Wars 2 is also often that of a higher soldier, not that of the great leader. Even at the end of the main story, we were an important part, but Sylvari Traherne was the leader of the pact. This could also be the case in the new MMORPG.
I like it when you are just a persistent person, not the chosen one, not the champion of the world, and that for as long as possible. Personal taste.
Ghostcrawler has not yet commented on further game content. However, we still know some of his views from his time at Riot Games:
- He wants to deviate from the standard with the camera perspective only if there is a truly important reason. But he himself is a big fan of the third-person view. A similar statement was made about the combat system. Street seems to be more of a fan of tab targeting.
- Dungeons and raids, as well as endgame generally, are very important to him. He is into big raids with at least 20, maybe even 40 players, and they should be really tough.
- PvP is not unimportant to him, but he is more of a PvE player. This suggests that there will not be open-world PvP.
- Generally, the developer likes the subscription model for MMORPGs, but did not rule out that the Riot title could also be free-to-play. Only a buy-to-play model with a subsequent shop seems unlikely with him.
A modern MMORPG with old virtues?
The image Ghostcrawler is currently painting of his new MMORPG sounds simply fantastic. A kind of modern WoW Classic with dungeons, raids, and tab-targeting as the combat system, but with a completely different and action-packed start.
It doesn’t bring any crazy innovations and is not aimed specifically at young players, but rather the older MMORPG generation. Furthermore, Street repeatedly emphasizes the close exchange with players and the early tests that are planned.
While the last two points carry some risk and Crowfall has shown that this can also be a nail in the coffin, Ashes of Creation has managed to maintain a small hype over the years this way. And if what has been shown is good, I prefer a small world for testing rather than writing about theories and blog posts for years without seeing gameplay.
And after the latest statement about the LoL MMORPG, I am sure we will see gameplay from the Ghostcrawler MMO before we see it from Riot Games itself. Meanwhile, his development studio doesn’t even have a name yet.
What do you think of the MMORPG? Are you as hyped as I am or are you waiting for more information first?
An MMORPG that also doesn’t belong to the mainstream managed to captivate me with its trailer:
A new MMORPG is making my dreams come true – Shows the best combat system ever in the trailer
