Many MMORPG veterans are waiting for a new MMORPG. This has prompted the creators of League of Legends to ask fans if they should make a new MMO. Our author Schuhmann says: The time is ripe for a new MMORPG, but it will be a different kind of game than many believe. No one is making a WoW-killer anymore.
10 Years of “WoW” Killers
The Big Hype: Following the success of WoW, starting around 2005, there was an almost 10-year attempt to create a new MMORPG of that magnitude.
While the games themselves repeatedly denied this and avoided comparison with World of Warcraft, there was constant talk of a “WoW Killer”, the game that would steal players from WoW and become the caliph instead of the caliph.
Such WoW killers reliably came around for 10 years and failed just as reliably:
- 2007: Lord of the Rings Online
- 2008: Age of Conan, Warhammer
- 2009: Runes of Magic
- 2010: Allods Online, Star Trek Online, Aion (Western release)
- 2011: Rift, Star Wars: The Old Republic
- 2012: Guild Wars 2, The Secret World
- 2013: Neverwinter, Final Fantasy XIV
MMORPG fans knew: There was always something planned and in the pipeline. Almost everyone had a “future blockbuster” that they were eagerly anticipating.
While players waited for their actual favorite, they switched from this game to that one. Some found a new favorite, while others returned to WoW. This happened year after year. But then 2014 came.
Catastrophic Year 2014 set the Genre Back
2014 proved to be a catastrophic year for MMORPGs. All signs were pointing to success:
- But The Elder Scrolls Online catastrophically failed on PC. ESO seemed to be a total flop for a long time, until they later turned things around.
- WildStar sold many copies but struggled to keep players for more than a month and collapsed.
For a while, things looked bleak.
Despite a lot of money and great licenses, no success as a WoW Killer
Next generation canceled: Even before that, major projects like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Final Fantasy XIV – at their time – had failed brutally. They had to switch to free-to-play or even undergo an extensive rebuild. The lots of money, the great licenses and franchises could not guarantee success.
After the dreadful year 2014, MMORPGs were no longer considered “in demand”. This had consequences.
Actually, the genre revolution, the “next-gen”, was planned for 2015, 2016, or at the latest for 2017. The corresponding hopes were in development for years and had catchy names. But then came the bad news:
- Blizzard stopped working on the WoW successor “Titan” in September 2014 and made a fortune with manageable projects like Hearthstone or Overwatch.
- Everquest Next was buried early – they only announced it in 2016, but it was already clear in 2015.
The hype genres in gaming have been different since then:
- First MOBAs like LoL or DOTA 2
- then survival games like ARK: Survival Evolved
- in between hero shooters, with Overwatch being indestructible at the top
- and for about a year and a half now, battle-royale games like PUBG and Fortnite.
An Industry Consolidates
MMORPGs after 2015: In recent years, we have seen the status quo where no new AAA MMORPGs are released. At least not in the West.
The existing major titles retain their players, might come to new platforms, but not much is changing. The games are taking alternative paths, developing mobile or console versions.
But it’s not all bad: The genre may not be growing anymore, but the individual big MMORPGs are doing well.
Smaller MMORPGs often face difficulties
It doesn’t look so good for the smaller ones:
Smaller MMORPGs:
- are being discontinued (Asheron’s Call, Devilian)
- are gradually disappearing from the spotlight (Anarchy Online, Age of Conan)
- or arrive practically silently (ELOA, ASTA, Cabal Online 2).
Indie MMORPGs are in the starting blocks but stuck there for a bit
There is also a range of indie games that aim to forge new paths in MMORPGs. Currently, these games hold the hopes of MMORPG veterans. These titles include:
- Pantheon – Rise of the Fallen – an old-school PvE MMORPG
- Chronicles of Elyria – a kind of RPG simulation
- Ashes of Creation – a spiritual successor to Everquest Next
- Camelot Unchained – a pure PvP game
- or Crowfall – an MMORPG with strategy elements
However, all these projects have been stuck in pre-alpha for years. There isn’t much money in these games, which are often funded through crowdfunding or by private investors. They rarely gain attention from the mainstream gaming press. They’re miles away from big articles in the general interest press. That’s where Fortnite shines today.
2018: A Market Hungers
Demand is Huge: These indie projects show that there is a huge demand for a new MMORPG. For years, people were fed up with “the next MMORPG that would disappoint again”. Today, they yearn for something new.
Over the last 20 years, many players who loved an MMORPG are now looking for a new one.
The desire for a new MMORPG is immense: This is evident from the attention that a game like “Bless” generates when it releases on Steam. Despite all warnings, many purchased Bless and were later disappointed.
The enthusiasm of fans for individual indie MMORPGs is also immense.
Can LoL Satisfy this Desire?
LoL as a beacon of hope? – Wait: Currently, Riot Games appears to be a beacon of hope for those longing for the next “MMORPG”. The creators of LoL have been working on their world and have sorted out the lore. They are now asking: “Do you want us to make a LoL MMO?”
This excites some MMORPG players, as they see Riot as ideal to rejuvenate the genre:
- The market is more than ready for it
- Riot is also seen as capable of creating a AAA MMORPG – after all, they have plenty of resources and capable developers (including Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street, a WoW expert)
- If anyone can throw money at a problem until it goes away, it’s Riot
- Furthermore, online games like Fortnite are a hit; thus, an MMORPG would surely also make economic sense – given all the monetization opportunities
- The gaming market is cyclical and MMORPGs as a trend would be due for a comeback – after all, it’s been a long wait
The stars are aligned: On Mein-MMO, we asked “Would you play a LoL MMO?” More than 90% said: Yes, I would.
The Next MMORPG Will Be Different
The problem: Many who respond to this question envision some form of “modern WoW in a LoL skin”. However, this is hardly conceivable.
If Riot does develop an MMO, it is likely to resemble a “Destiny” more than a WoW. This is already evident from the fact that LoL is asking for an “MMO” and not an “MMORPG”.
It is indeed clear and visible that the desire for an MMORPG is great.
But one can be sure: The next MMORPG that will succeed will do many things differently than the “WoW” killers of the past.
MMORPGs Must Evolve to Be Successful
2018 needs a different MMORPG: Gaming is indeed cyclical, but individual genres are constantly evolving. Today’s RPGs rely on open-world environments rather than the text deserts of 15 years ago. MMORPGs will also have to change.
This trend is already evident:
- Successful MMORPGs in the West, like Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, or Black Desert, differ from WoW. They seek their own path, whether in the combat system, basic structure, or storytelling.
- Even WoW itself has since distanced itself so much from “Vanilla WoW” that players are constantly calling for Classic servers.
- In Asia, action MMORPGs like Lost ARK are going through their final beta phases. Here they are merging the isometric perspective of Diablo 3 with the depth of an MMORPG into something new. Project TL, the next Lineage, is heading in a similar direction.
- Fresh titles like Ashes of Creation focus on a dynamic world that changes and is shaped by the player.
Games like Ashes of Creation or Lost Ark could be the next MMORPGs that players are waiting for. The time is indeed ripe.
What is certain: Even Riot Games, with all their money, experience, and success, will not attempt to “build a new WoW Killer” after so many have failed before them. The next MMORPG that can achieve as much success as WoW will have to evolve to do so.
The next big MMORPG will hopefully be, no matter what it becomes, a surprise for us all.
