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Will there ever be a new AAA MMO?
JudgeUK
Member RarePosts: 1,696
Remember the days?
AION was going to be the next triple A, but now a shadow of it's former self.
SWTOR was the WoW killer - never going to happen, but at least the change of direction means it's fortunately still going strong.
GW2 - One of the most anticipated games in the genre, and long may it continue.
ESO - again, fortunately still going from strength to strength.
FFXIV - probably the only true 'classic' recent mmo, still retaining the sub only model, and doing well.
WILDSTAR - limping along, but nowhere near the success originally hoped for
SECRET WORLD - resurrected in a final attempt to get it to work financially.
- and others.
BUT - I ask, will there ever be another triple AAA mmo in the forseable future?
They do, by their nature, demand significant investment and support.
So, have developers been turned away by past failures / risk / easier to do other options?
And will we ever see a new AAA mmo again?
AION was going to be the next triple A, but now a shadow of it's former self.
SWTOR was the WoW killer - never going to happen, but at least the change of direction means it's fortunately still going strong.
GW2 - One of the most anticipated games in the genre, and long may it continue.
ESO - again, fortunately still going from strength to strength.
FFXIV - probably the only true 'classic' recent mmo, still retaining the sub only model, and doing well.
WILDSTAR - limping along, but nowhere near the success originally hoped for
SECRET WORLD - resurrected in a final attempt to get it to work financially.
- and others.
BUT - I ask, will there ever be another triple AAA mmo in the forseable future?
They do, by their nature, demand significant investment and support.
So, have developers been turned away by past failures / risk / easier to do other options?
And will we ever see a new AAA mmo again?
Comments
/ end thread
I kid...Amazon has their New World MMO in development, Star Citizen is spending AAA money.
Besides doesn't AAA just mean boring, corporate game play aimed at the masses?
Oh yes, along with soul sucking monetization policies, can't forget that either.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.
-- Herman Melville
A lot of the community are salty butthurt old fat potato chip eating soda drinking keyboard warriors waiting for their next mmorpg fix though and devs seem to be required to keep their family safe and sit on the porch with a shotgun if there are things the community dislike about their game.
Someone will come out with a AAA one eventually and it will be great... It just may happen to be 10 or 20 years down the line.
Rockstar games wil probably release a full fledged AAA MMO within the next 6-8 years, for example. While it may not be a 'classic' MMO, to most people that usually seems to mean a high fantasy or scifi setting with the usual stale gameplay gimmicks. But online, massive, persistent cooperative and simultaneous competetive gameplay, with RPG elements are really the only criteria you need to satisfy to be considered an MMO. And you're just not all that intuitive if you actually think developers are done trying to capitalize on and harness those elements.
And of course, when that does happen, and a major developer shows what is possible again, it brings the conversation back to the forefront again as others try to emulate their success. It's just a matter of time really, it only takes one.
That's my prediction. No proof.. I just feeeel it, man.
But the problem with it, and with all other other major mmorpgs I think, is the lack of morality and ethics. Mmorpgs seem to be loaded with violence and hate.
-Small zones
-500 part solo story line
They might become AA game, but they're much smaller production than AAA games like ESO, SWTOR or FF XIV.
As for western productions, Cryptic is working something Magic the Gathering related that I think is supposed to be an MMO, Star Citizen has AAA budget if they ever manage to launch actual game, and many of the large studios could have unannounced upcoming MMO projects large studios just don't normally announce their projects until they're closer to releasing something.
~~ postlarval ~~
Peronally I see no chance for another western AAA MMORPG. The game market moved on to other, more profitable, genres. Sure there will be MMOs but not an AAA MMORPG as probably most on this forum have in mind when thinking about it. At least not in the near future.
A western MMORPG is tougher, Cryptic is working on their Magic the gathering MMO and with PWE paying the bills I don't doubt it will be AAA, good is an entirely different matter. Amazon is saying they make a MMO but I assume that will be a "MMO" and not a MMORPG.
And in all fairness, considering Star citizens budget I think we need to call it "AAA" as well, pay2win or not.
Companies like NC Soft and PWE will certainly continue make MMOs and there is at least one or 2 western in the making depending on how you count. That still isn't much in the west and the Chinese pays for cryptics game while SC is fan funded so it certainly is no reason to bring out the champagne but neither is it time for the funeral beer yet.
I self identify as a monkey.
In terms of cost to produce and polished to a high sheen... almost certainly.
In terms of an expansive, substantive, quality game experience... not so much.
So triple A budget does not always produce a triple A game. Tying the triple A moniker to the budget is a mistake, in my opinion, it should rest on the quality of the game.
If you want a new idea, go read an old book.
In order to be insulted, I must first value your opinion.
But since some people love while others hate almost all games calling the game you like AAA is not productive. I guess you could use a system based on income, copies sold or subscribers but that is far more work.
The "good" and "bad" words catch what you mean better and there we can tell it is an opinion instead of a fact. High production value on the other hand can be measured.
~~ postlarval ~~
The assumption (which is grouned in reasonable thought) is that the larger the project the better the game would be. Also the thought that more attention the general ecosystem pays attention to it the more likely its of better quality because the assumption is that those people are actively engaged in curating content.
Thus, people want something that has that AAA label because the assumption is games that are not AAA will likely not be as good.
I know this because its exactly how I used to think. Reality however is very different. Much of it is just pure marketing dollars spent very cleverly
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