Creativity and Innovation = Failure.
This year, yet another "mainstream" MMO has met its end. I'm of course referring to Tabula Rasa. This is just another in a list of unique titles that has either failed to get off the ground, or fell off the face of the Earth after only a brief run. What is it that makes players shy away from these more unique games and their concepts? You often hear the cry from forums about "innovation", "change", and the need for more variation to MMOs in general. But when a game offers this, it's greeted with doubtful suspicion.
Tabula Rasa, the most recent "failure", offered a unique blend of Sci-Fi environment in a persistant world with a unique FPS-3rd Person blend of gameplay. Players often shout for more Sci-Fi MMOs, but if this is to be the fate of the games who try, it's doubtful many developers will follow in their footsteps. From the same developer you had Auto Assault. This car-driving MMO brought a VERY unique game that blended Sci-Fi with a post-apocalyptic world and destructable environment. Sadly, this game too survived for a very short time.
Before EVE Online there was Earth and Beyond. This space combat and economic simulation MMO was developed by EA Games, but lasted only a few years (perhaps it was less than 3?). The game was very similar to EVE, but was unable to garner the support of Sci-Fi or MMO fans. But even the well-supported fantasy genre is not beyond the grip of failed innovation. Turbine attemped to create a sequel to it's very popular Asheron's Call MMORPG, creating AC2. It offered skill-based advancement, unique races, and some very nice graphics for its time. But the unfamiliar skill system and unique gameplay proved too much for the average player, and the game was shut down.
Another example of difficulty succeeding with a unique game is Ryzom. Despite the fact that it has recently resurfaced in the MMO world, it has undergone numerous problems including various owners and bankruptcies. This game touts itself as being a "sandbox" game, where players can create their own unique characters based on skills and self-created abilities. This kind of gameplay has been shouted for by many vocal players, but has never shown itself to be a successful model for a game.
Players are all too willing to stick to the tried-and-true foundations of the genre (and their sequels/clones). Everquest, World of Warcraft, and similar games continue to be the defining games of the MMO universe (at least in the western world). Why is it that despite the cry for unique games, players shun them for the "same old, same old"? Perhaps people just "think" they want something unique, when in fact most players just aren't comfortable outside the box.
I for one hope that independant games (not corporately developed) can help pave the way and encourage players to delve deeper into more types of MMOs. It's not that EQ2, LotRO, or even WoW are bad games. It's just that they've been done, done again, and done once more in the ear, and it's time to move on...
