Comments on: Stop Looking for a WoW Killer

By: NecropolisFortyTwo

NecropolisFortyTwo — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:49:13 +0000

What EricT just said there, WILL be the future of generations to come, and theres no doubt about it. Our physical world will probably come to a halt due to Virtual worlds. (A little off-topic but, lol.) But more onto WoW, no… It’s become too big of a corporation and player base that it cannot be stopped, and for those of you who don’t yet play it.. be aware.. it’ll be coming for you like an xorcet missle! :D

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:22:39 +0000

Worst advice ever! It wont happen so stop trying???? Really?

By: EricT

EricT — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:10:55 +0000

“as audiences veer from the significant time and financial obligations these games command”

Huh? The $13/month I spend on WoW is a pittance compared to what I spent on other games (when I had time to play other games). The more you play WoW, the less you spend on other games (or going out to dinner, or the movies, etc.) You end up *saving* money.

As for audiences “veering” from the time obligation, what makes you think that is going to happen?! These games are getting MORE engrossing and addictive as time goes by, and we’re still in the infancy, playing via a crude button panels and a 2D displays. What happens when display technologies get more immersive, man-machine interfaces evolve, and the game’s themselves because more and more lifelike? More people will jack in for longer, not less.

Games are evolving toward the holodeck/metaverse/matrix/etc. Within a few hundred years, anyone who can afford to will a large percentage of their life in virtual environments. We’re only a few generations from curing death. What happens when people live to 200, or 500, or longer? The idea of leaving your home, driving a car somewhere, will seem far too risky. People will want to hunker down in their bunker-like homes and live out their lives in virtual safety.

All bets should be placed on WoW and it’s ilk growing, not shrinking.

By: MMORPG Network Aeria Partners With Offerpal

MMORPG Network Aeria Partners With Offerpal — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:00:22 +0000

[...] MMORPG developers used to monthly subscription models are looking for new ways to make money in the post-Warcraft era, so I imagine they are, too. [...]

By: Quake Live May Spark Gaming Industry Shake-up

Quake Live May Spark Gaming Industry Shake-up — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:16:36 +0000

[...] the U.S. free games market has yet to produce a game that will make players ditch their consoles or World of Warcraft subscriptions. But imagine, he says, if Halo 3 or Gears of War 2 were free: “You would have 100 million [...]

By: Ten Indicators You Might have World of Warcraft Addiction | world of warcraft addiction

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:58:04 +0000

[...] Stop Looking for a WoW Killer (gigaom.com) [...]

By: michael cai

michael cai — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:48:46 +0000

Mary Jane did a good job but I never said MMOs based on these other models will “whittle away” WOW’s user base with the promise of free play. For the next few years, very little overlap and intersection between the demographics of gamers playing subscription games and alternative models. However, a few years down the road, when today’s teens grow up with free to play, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. Plus, a lot of VC money has gone through the drain and yeah there are still new companies trying like 38 Studios, but a lot of the incumbent developers/publishers like Turbine and SOE are investing more in free-to-play too. It’s hard to have formidable competititors challenging a giant if nobody is investing in them…

By: » On the Possibility of WoW Killers Whyos

» On the Possibility of WoW Killers Whyos — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:32:03 +0000

[...] has a piece up today regarding the impossibility of a massively-multiplayer game coming along that can [...]

By: some danish guy

some danish guy — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:12:32 +0000

This article is interesting, but you sound very 2001ish.
giants always stumble at one point, who thought that google would come up with a new search (and they’ll probably be run over and passed by sooner then later).

By: Screen Sleuth

Screen Sleuth — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:56:36 +0000

Correct; there will never be a WOW killer…it’s too entrenched and ingrained in people as the first thing they think of when people say MMORPG (used to be EverQuest, is that even still around?).

By: Karl

Karl — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:25:18 +0000

Interested to see how Lucas Arts fares with their Bioware-created MMO based in the Star Wars Universe…

By: Rodolfo

Rodolfo — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:32:37 +0000

Couple of points:

- Blizzard is in fact working on a new MMO built on a new franchise (so no Diablo, Starcraft or WoW 2), couple of days ago Jeff Kaplan (WoW’s Lead Designer) started working on it. So I guess yeah they have read the Innovator’s Dilemma and already building their own WoW-killer.

- Growth in North America has slowed down. A good indicator is the number of servers (which can be translated directly in how many people play instead of PRopaganda), I never bothered plotting that on a chart but maybe I’ll do it later
http://www.wowwiki.com/Realms_List

- Majority of US/EU customers are on a subscription model but my understanding is that Asian customers play mainly with pre-paid time.

My opinion is that the subscription model lays the foundation of the type of game you are creating. So I do not believe that at this stage there is any credible contender and we’re too far in the race for this generation of games (WAR? LotR? lol they’re jokes in comparison) and the next window of opportunity will be when WoW’s engine will start to show its age.

PS. and yeah Second Life still blows donkeys.

By: Kelly’s World- A View into the mind of Uber Geek, Kelly Adams » Blog Archive » WoW must be giving it away…

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:31:37 +0000

[...] was reading a “d’uh, that’s obvious” article today regarding how the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) industry needs to stop looking for the next WoW killer. And I came across this particular bit of text that, well, just doesn’t add [...]