I’ll set aside the theme and tackle the format instead. Is there really an audience for MMORPGs anymore? It was a deadly space to enter when WoW was in its prime and it’s only gotten harder. I’m not so sure the MMORPG even “died” as much as slowly diffused into every other genre as live-service capabilities began to spin up. These massive worlds where everyone shares the same story just don’t feel right without a strong ludonarrative dissonance, as opposed to most games that make you the exclusive hero. Sandbox MMOs, on the flip side, rarely have any staying power or purpose. It’s just a really hard design space, in my opinion, when other genres now have all the same benefits of letting you seamlessly play with strangers or friends en masse, without the limitations or side effects of having a single shared world.
Rambling thoughts for discussion. Also I love MMORPGs, to be clear. I just wouldn’t want to be in the business of making one after about 2010.
I’ll set aside the theme and tackle the format instead. Is there really an audience for MMORPGs anymore? It was a deadly space to enter when WoW was in its prime and it’s only gotten harder. I’m not so sure the MMORPG even “died” as much as slowly diffused into every other genre as live-service capabilities began to spin up. These massive worlds where everyone shares the same story just don’t feel right without a strong ludonarrative dissonance, as opposed to most games that make you the exclusive hero. Sandbox MMOs, on the flip side, rarely have any staying power or purpose. It’s just a really hard design space, in my opinion, when other genres now have all the same benefits of letting you seamlessly play with strangers or friends en masse, without the limitations or side effects of having a single shared world.
Rambling thoughts for discussion. Also I love MMORPGs, to be clear. I just wouldn’t want to be in the business of making one after about 2010.