Could there be another MMORPG similar to Runescape or World of Warcraft in the future?
Could there be another MMORPG similar to Runescape or World of Warcraft in the future?
In short, aside from a purple squirrel situation (someone with significant resources takes much longer to launch a game of similar quality than a standard MMO), the only path to surpassing World of Warcraft is securing an intellectual property that people genuinely value enough to persevere through its early struggles. The developer or publisher should ideally be privately held, much like Valve does. This is crucial because a publicly listed company faces constant pressure from investors to adopt free-to-play models, offer discounts, or make other changes during the initial launch phase while issues remain unresolved. I’ve reviewed two MMO releases—Earth and Beyond and World of Warcraft—and in both, the first year was focused on fixing bugs, improving backend systems, and maintaining stability. Content updates were minimal at first, but subscriber numbers eventually rebounded once patches were released. Both games endured partly because they retained exclusive control over their content. You can’t replicate WoW’s uniqueness from another source; you can’t recreate the Jenquai, Progen, or Terran ship designs from elsewhere except through Blizzard. That exclusivity is a major advantage for weathering that critical first year. If fans can obtain their lore from elsewhere, they’ll likely be less tolerant of the initial setbacks. SW:TOR made several missteps at launch—trying to match KOTOR and KOTOR2—which are far stronger in RPG design. Players might have abandoned SW:TOR for more polished alternatives like KOTOR, Battlefield, or Jedi Academy. In some cases, the rushed development of SW:Galaxies led to unresolved bugs, causing fans to switch away. The situation was worsened by investor expectations; when stock prices dropped, fans felt pressured to demand a free-to-play model out of fear, which ultimately harmed SW:TOR’s long-term prospects.
Many shifted their stance against the paid subscription system, and now countless free-to-play MMO games push for microtransactions that feel like a hassle. For RuneScape, it’s a mix of both subscription and pay-to-win models, and most people—except true fans—dislike Jagex. Nice to see things change! - I long for the days when I was 14 and played RS. *sigh*
I think Wildstar's model is excellent. I've always liked subscription MMOs, especially since I prefer them over free-to-play options. It offers two choices: pay €12 per month or purchase CREDD (either with real money or in-game currency) which can be spent on game time. After a month, I already have sufficient CREDD for this and the following three months, so most people can manage the subscription cost just by playing. That said, Wildstar might not attract many players because it involves a bit of extra time commitment.
Guild Wars 2 continues to impress with its strong sales and vibrant player base even after two years. The critics who say there’s "not enough content at endgame" are mistaken. There’s a vast selection available at no cost. The article highlights this enthusiasm, pointing to the site’s active community. GW2 may not be perfect yet, but it’s making progress and setting up more material for future updates. ArenaNet is also refining its approach and planning additional improvements.
Many new players join -> They become hooked -> Subscription will need to be renewed again. In short, WoW ftw. The game won’t disappear for at least five years and no other MMO will replace it soon. They believed Wildstar would replace WoW, but look where things stand now. WoW still has seven million subscribers and is a game from ten years ago. TL;dr: WoW remains the top MMORPG.
Besides WoW, Blizzard earns significant income from other sources. Even with lower global popularity, 7.6 million subscribers still contribute meaningfully. Considering regional price differences, if players paid an average of $10 monthly instead of the US $15, the monthly revenue would rise to $70.6 million. Annually that totals about $847 million solely from subscriptions. This steady stream has helped Blizzard remain profitable. While DotA 2 and LoL boast large player bases, they also face severe community issues. Toxic environments demand heavy moderation efforts. Riot Games, the company behind LoL, reported only $600 million in revenue in 2013 despite its size. In reality, Blizzard’s earnings far exceed this figure when factoring in subscriptions, microtransactions, and new content releases.
The only viable option seems to be Everquest Next. Wild Star caters to a small audience (hardcore players) and its demands are too high for mass appeal. World of Warcraft reaches every segment and offers PvP, mini-games, and raids. Casual groups enjoy it, and it runs smoothly on laptops. Niche titles like Wild Star can thrive in PvE settings (pvp), but they rarely match WoW’s scale. Sandbox experiences from Ultima Online were once popular, yet players quickly moved to more mainstream options. People express interest but rarely stick around. I personally enjoyed that game, but soon switched to a theme park when it launched (Everquest). S.T.O.R. had potential as a game engine and could have challenged WoW, but it didn’t quite make the impact. Wild Star likely will remain a niche title, similar to Tera—still alive but not a direct competitor.
Maybe, though I’m not sure. The style seems to be fading away.
Only when a player removes a Sword art online NerveGear and abandons the existing microtransaction/pay-to-win/F2P system will change happen.