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| Guild Wars-GC2007 MMO Studios Should Avoid Licensed IPs |
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We'd originally thought ArenaNet founder Jeff Strain came to the GC Developers Conference to discuss the future of the MMO market (and possibly drop some details on Guild Wars2) -- but he decided to change course before he showed up in Germany. Instead, Strain spent his hour touching on what a developer needs to produce a successful MMO. One lesson looked at the few studios that have attempted to produce massively multiplayer titles based on an existing IP. Players word hard for Guild Wars Gold everyday.
Strain specifically called out two unnamed licensed-based MMOs -- we're guessing Star Wars Galaxies and Lord of the Rings Online -- as not having lived up to release expectations.We'd originally thought ArenaNet founder Jeff Strain came to the GC Developers Conference to discuss the future of the MMO market (and possibly drop some details on Guild Wars2) -- but he decided to change course before he showed up in Germany.guild wars gold Instead, Strain spent his hour touching on what a developer needs to produce a successful MMO. One lesson looked at the few studios that have attempted to produce massively multiplayer titles based on an existing IP. Players word hard for Guild Wars Gold everyday.
Strain specifically called out two unnamed licensed-based MMOs -- we're guessing Star Wars Galaxies and Lord of the Rings Online -- as not having lived up to release expectations. "Let developers design MMOs that are not designed and constrained by the rules of a licensing body," said Strain in Guild Wars.
The problem, says Strain, is coming up with innovative and enjoyable game mechanics that must fit within the regulations of an existing IP.guild wars gold Creating your own universe is an incredible amount of work, but it means you have control over it an determine how the rules and regulations of that universe interact with the gameplay.
Simultaneously, he said the World of Warcraft factor is something to keep in mind. Strain cautions that no one should expect to create a World of Warcraft-killer without the same budget -- and Strain estimates Blizzard spent more than $40 million crafting their MMO monster.
"It's no secret World of Warcraft has been a huge success and there has been a reason for that success. It's not the most innovative game on the market, but it offers a lot of content and it's an exceptionally polished game. Everyone wants to duplicate that process, but I'm not sure everyone knows what that means," said Strain. "Don't believe there's some magic design element that you're going to add to your MMO that's going to allow you to steal WoW's subscription customers." "Let developers design MMOs that are not designed and constrained by the rules of a licensing body," said Strain in Guild Wars.
The problem, says Strain, is coming up with innovative and enjoyable game mechanics that must fit within the regulations of an existing IP.guild wars gold Creating your own universe is an incredible amount of work, but it means you have control over it an determine how the rules and regulations of that universe interact with the gameplay.
Simultaneously, he said the World of Warcraft factor is something to keep in mind. Strain cautions that no one should expect to create a World of Warcraft-killer without the same budget -- and Strain estimates Blizzard spent more than $40 million crafting their MMO monster.
"It's no secret World of Warcraft has been a huge success and there has been a reason for that success. It's not the most innovative game on the market, but it offers a lot of content and it's an exceptionally polished game. Everyone wants to duplicate that process, but I'm not sure everyone knows what that means," said Strain. "Don't believe there's some magic design element that you're going to add to your MMO that's going to allow you to steal WoW's subscription customers." |
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