MMORPGs

The glut of massive role playing games has slowed somewhat as World of Warcraft’s stranglehold became evident and new business models were sought out. It’s actually still a vibrant genre however, particularly in the free-to-play space where some very interesting things are being done.




1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
PC
Activision Blizzard/Blizzard
Q4 2008
Recall that The Burning Crusade, WoW’s previous expansion pack, broke sales records releasing in a February and you’ll begin to get a feel for just how big this holiday release could be. Clearly it’s a must-purchased for the entrenched fan base—they do need that level cap increase, after all. But it also introduces the first new class to the game since launch, as well as the beloved classic Warcraft region Northrend and popular Warcraft III character Arthas. It’s no stretch to say that this will serve to millions of satisfied customers.




2. DC Universe Online
PS3/PC
Sony Online/Sony Online
TBA
The Marvel MMORPG is dead in the water and Champions Online only has a small licensed brand. Batman is the unquestioned king of the summer box office, and Sony Online has the support of comics industry legend Jim Lee. Just about everything is going the right way for DC Universe Online, which means it’s SOE’s ball to drop if it’s not the best-selling comic MMO ever made. But the design decisions seem appropriate—as a console experience, it’s more sandbox than quest grind, and the ways the players will interact with the decades-old universe make sense. SOE’s made mistakes before, but cautious optimism would not be unwarranted here.




3. Warhammer Online
PC
EA.Mythic
September
The latest from the studio that made the extremely long-lived Dark Age of Camelot has been long anticipated, but when it comes out it will take a curious place in the market that makes its success hard to parse. Warhammer has a long history as a tabletop game, and a vibrant mythology that Blizzard’s Warcraft is deeply indebted to. But Blizzard owns the MMO space, so to the non-fan this comes off as same-y and late. Age of Conan proved that the right franchise implemented the right way can take a chunk out of WoW. Warhammer Online is one of the few other games on the way that has a chance of pulling off the same stunt.




4. Free Realms
PS3/PC
Sony Online/Sony Online
TBA
Free Realms is a great example of a game that is finding a way into the MMO space without competing with Warcraft in any meaningful way. It’s a free-to-play MMORPG in the Korean business mold, with optional subscription bonuses and micro-transaction marketplaces paying the bills. It’s set in a family-friendly environment and is being targeted square at a younger audience. And perhaps most interestingly it’s being released on PC and the MMORPG-bereft PS3, making it essentially a free console game—this doesn’t happen almost ever. Of course its sales can’t be predicted in the usual way, but plenty of kids and PS3 owners won’t have any reason not to try it—if even a small percentage of them get hooked, that should be enough to keep this golden.