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Musings on the Life and Death of MMOsFollow

#1 Sep 17 2010 at 9:48 AM Rating: Decent
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"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe!"

The Matrix Online. Tabula Rasa. APB.

Yesterday, All Points Bulletin joined the MMO graveyard. Before it's time, maybe. But what amazed all of us here at ZAM was the suddeness of it's death and the promise it held. APB was actually pretty good and the thought that it's creators could not find some way to keep it alive left us all a little speechless. With the expense, these days, of creating an MMO and bringing it to market, how could these guys just fold on a product this close to payday?

We can imagine all sorts of scenarios from management malfeasance to apathy to stupidity but the true answer may be no more salacious than a sign of the times. MMOs, today, live in a very crowded pond and the backers of this project may have simply decided that this fish was never gonna make it out of the shallow end.

At the same time as we scratch our heads over some of the games that lie now in the pauper's field, mourned only by a few, we can scratch our heads over those that are still holding on, some albeit on life support.

Dark Ages of Camelot. Vanguard. Warhammer Online. Age of Conan.

While still others have seen amazing last-minute recoveries, such as Dungeons & Dragons Online.

And finally, Lord of the Rings Online, which this past week moved to a hybrid Pay/Free-to-Play structure with an incredible surge in server population. Whether this influx of new Free players (froobs) will breath new life into LotRO remains to be seen, but the patient is showing at least short-term signs of recovery. Last night I spent nearly an hour just hanging out in front of the Prancing Pony in Bree-town listening to groups of musicians jamming out on tunes ranging from "Freebird" and Queen's "We Are The Champions" to the Battlefield Band's "Yew Tree". This is something not seen there since the very early days of the game. As the wave of froobs rolls forward, now mostly in their 20's, new vitality is surging through the zones. How many survive to see Moria remains to be seen but for the time being it is a sight to see.

On the down side (you knew there was a downside, right?) the maturity level is dropping fast, from character names to the conversations in /regional and /ooc to player behavior. Last night one of my newer alts got invited to a fellowship to help complete a specific objective. The moment the big guy was vanquished and before the NPC could take her short walk and grant the quest update to all three of us, the leader disbanded the fellowship so only he got the update, then logged to avoid the tongue-lashing we both gave him.

So, while the patient will surely live, the question of his prosperity remains. Will the influence of the Lifers counter-balance the Froobs? Will those that stay adjust to the game's culture, or will they join Sharkey's Men in the burning of The Shire? Only time, and the Council of the Wise, can know.

namarie


Edited, Sep 28th 2010 9:40am by Bludwyng

Edited, May 9th 2014 1:10am by Calthine Unlock Thread
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