If the various Blizzard developers comments are to be trusted, the next expansion will also introduce a graphics revamp. Unfortunately for me, that would mean that it will arrive two years too late.

I think not adding Lord of the Rings - Online (LOTRO) to that list is an insult.

The game had been doing very well and has a huge loyal subscriber base. The game will also develop all the way into and past Moria so the future looks bright.

I play on the Gilrain Europe server and there is always activity and new content is eaten up by the player base.

Look towards 2012 and beyond and you will see LOTRO clearly there!

Originally posted by Seamz

Even though we have not heard anything about them. The new Blizzard MMO and the Zenimax MMO will be number 1 and 2 on that list, almost undoubtedly. They'll be the King and Queen of the MMO market in a few years.

No, AoC, DarkFall and WAR will be number 1, 2 and 3. Oh wait, flashback to four years ago when all of you ignorant ass fanboys were guessing that a game which you were anticipating would be the next best thing. The guy that wrote whis article looked at the games objectively, something that is pretty rare in the emotion-fueled forums wars. And to the loser tellingthe author he is close-minded because he didn't include a game you think should be on the list, how hypocritical. So the only way he wouldn't be close-minded would be if he agreed with you on all 10 games? lol

Personally I have to say that list is way off...

Everyone in their rite mind knows that Zelda will be at the top of the list! DOUH!

Originally posted by Zengrok

Originally posted by gnomexxx

So much for a dynamic gaming genre.  Especially if WoW is still on top 3 years from now.

I was kind of hoping technology and other advancements (like game design) would knock that game on its ass.  I cannot see myself being a fan of the MMO genre if it hasn't changed enough in 3 years to give us something more fun than WoW. 

That's not the point though.   WoW may still be a player, or even top slot in 3 years, but that doesn't mean the industry hasn't changed and evolved. 

Think of it this way.  People will always start with WoW, and evolve into something else.  This means those other, "better" games will always be a smaller segment.  So the only game that topples WoW, will be another starter game (and probably from Blizzard) that most of us will choose not to play anyway.

People "evolve" into something else? I mean ,seriously ...how much did you think before you wrote this post.    I've been playing mmos since 2003 and the only mmo nowadays wich seems worthwhile is deffo wow.All the others are just ......... 

And now regarding the topic  ,I think blizzards new mmo/wow       Guild wars 2   and SW:TOR will be top3 in  2013.      :)

What? No LOTRO?

I'm sure that LOTRO will prosper and definitely be around in the next three years. And beyond that.

More are more people are discovering virtual Middle-Earth every day and the game is looking better all the time.   

Originally posted by blackhawk432

Personally I have to say that list is way off...

Everyone in their rite mind knows that Zelda will be at the top of the list! DOUH!

Vagrant Story MMO FTW. Best RPG combat ever.

Originally posted by Rajen

 I know I will probably get a lot of hate from this... I truely am sorry but this is just an opinion of mine.

 

I don't think SWTOR is going to be near the top of the list in 2012 for the simple fact that it is a sci-fi based MMO. A lot of people like it on the boards but that is a minority as hardly anyone actually goes on forums unless they are pretty serious about MMOs and still a good number of people are more into fantasy based rpgs.

 

I think FFXIV will do better than SWTOR, the FFXI community will be playing it that is pretty much a definite and FFXI still has a strong 500k subs and it has been out awhile. I just see FFXIV being higher up on the list, due to its name, its fans who are already playing FFXI, and that it is a fantasy based MMO.

The Star Wars fanbase is a lot bigger and a lot more prominent on the PC. I'd say The Old Republic would have to be absolute tripe for it to do worse than FFXI, even mediocre Star Wars games sell millions... a MMORPG by BioWare should by right do a lot better than that. There are plenty of people who will play anything BioWare develops (myself included, even if just to try it out) and there are even more that will play anything Star Wars. I'm certain FFXI will be BIG, but not that big.

And Star Wars is fantasy / space opera; I wouldn't rush to call it science fiction. But even if you push it into that category, you might do well to remember that 2012 is not 2009. Science fiction is currently experiencing a comeback (the countless new space exploration shows airing on TV are plenty evidence of that) and might well be more 'in' than fantasy 3 years from now.

YOU FORGOT ABOUT DIABLO 3 IN THE LIST.

evri1 that played diablo 1 and 2 left it to play WoW then it released cus of better graphics(many stayed at diablo 2 till the game got bored)

Diablo 3 with better graphics more action more levels more of evrithing that the past 2 series and it will not be easy as 1 and 2 will get ALOT of players from WoW and other gamers in it!

i think blizzard will always be the Ruler of mmorpgs (i dont think so i dont like WoW) but many others do xD

Diablo 3 is not an MMO.

I don't think I could disagree more with that list. Here's one game I think will be on that list assuming Funcom launchs a full game and not a beta like they did with  AOC.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EARd-fmKZ2g or google Secret World.

More and more people are upgrading their PC's. With that in mind I highly doubt WoW and games like WoW will keep even half their player base by 2012. Most people will have to upgrade their hardware just play a trial version of a next gen game by then. WoW will still be a beast but it will lose it's number #1 spot. Which I'm going to give to Starwars just for company rep and fan base.

Maybe half the games on the list are in some way WoW style games. Meaning not much blood, enemies die the same way everytime, ( they fall down lol), dated graphics, etc. The games that will round the top 10 will be more diverse. One or two will be superhero style games, a few will be SIFI style,  Maybe a few adult orientated games like Secret World, World of Darkness etc. One game I have no doubt wil be on the list is Guildwars Two, just because of it's free subs. 

Aion wil not be on the list for these reasons: 1.  Not enough races, because of that, theres no drama or storyline based on a                                                                                             history to imerse the player from that particular aspect.... That equals no less                                                                                            then half a million non subs.                                             

                                                                                 2. Not enough classes to start out with. Four to start and more to come as you l                                                                                            level just dose not cut it. Players like feeling special and looking different. When                                                                                       you think of the beast that is WoW, and add in Talent trees, there is actually                                                                                                 around 27 classes in the game.

                                                                                 3. No talent or class feature system.  That personally killed the game for me on the                                                                                       spot.  Talents are more then just powers gained. They add that chess style                                                                                               stratagy and also make your character more unique.... Once more people hear                                                                                        about this, that will be another half a million subs lost.

I"m sure the game will launch just fine with lots of subs, but it will start to die out within 6 months like most MMO"s do these days. 

Thank you for not putting LOTRO in the top 10 list.  The folks over at Tubrine have been rigging votes all over the place and lying through their teeth to get iheir product ranked as the best.

Tubrine has been claiming they are growing. New accounts only as they are loosing most of the original folks who they started out with.

Expect WoW to start getting another graphics revamp as soon as their new MMO engine is complete. Look at the Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 videos to see the sorts of things it will be able to do. The style will still be pure WoW though. As much as I dislike that game I expect it's got at least five more years on top. Also expect more focus on broadening the game instead of adding more levels/zones. There's indications a different crew is working on it and once they get their feet they'll want to do new things not just change old ones.  I don't expect Aion to do as well as many expect because it's just the same stuff in a different wrapper. I'd put it at iffy as a number 10. The rest are a mixed bag and most could either move up or down a couple of spots. I don't see anyone commiting enough resources to a sandbox to make much of an impression. They're extraordinarily expensive games to build right. Only EVE seems to have a sandbox business model that works. I think there's an opening for another simple no frills MMO to come in and steal some thunder. Single player games with a lot of replayability have survived well in the PC market even though they were not the latest and greatest. Hell people still play diablo and starcraft even though the more advanced RPGs and RTS games have disappeared off the shelves within months of release. GW falls into that category really. The complexity isn't in the game play it's in having so many character options.

It seems so few care or think of:

WARHAMMER 40,000 MMO

It's surprising Jon didn't even mention it. It has the potential to be a real AAA success.

Mind you, of course, that Mythic made such a crap out of the Warhammer Fantasy IP and that injected further delusion in MMO/Games Workshop followers but by 2012 WH40K should be out.

Your opinions ? Jon or any MMORPG.com staff around with an idea on the matter ?

Warhammer 40k
Copernicus

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by nekollx

I'm curious why you think it veers to much. The site/forums already confirms you will comand an ship an work your way up to bigger and better ships and that you can customize and recruit new command crew. For a game without even a Beta that seems like a good match to the tv show.

 

Work your way up to a bigger ship? How often did that happen in a Trek Series?

 

Trek - at its core - is about a small group of specialists working together to solve problems. It wasn't always about combat, and it SURE wasn't about gathering loot. Despite William Shatner's attitude - it also wasn't the 'Captain Kirk (or Picard, or Janeway) Show'.

The concept is fine as it goes and this could be a big hit, the reality is that you will be managing and playing a crew that you develop. Some thinking needs to be done regards development of this and how it in reality fits the MMO genre.

I see this as going two ways on is faction based with 'your crew' living the dream and working for the highest bidder or it staying true to Star Fleet and being very linear and the equivalent of a single player.  The latter would be preferable where travel discover and cudos are earned difficult to pull off and provide longevity. Tech and genetic  development needs to play a big part here as part of the capability of your crew else the game will not hold interest unless people are happoy with a sight seeing tour of representative worlds for old times sake(sadly that will not last).

I guess they could also add a murder mystery element , which again would equate to event based instancing on ship.

Love the IP though lets hope they get a good balance.

I am no foaming-at-the-mouth WoW hater, but what could [b]possibly[/b] be interesting about that game anymore? couple of more expansions with maybe a couple of new races and a class or two? and more of the same balanced mess that it is atm?

Same goes for that Star Wars MMO. Geeks everywhere might be rejoicing just because it's a "Star wars mmo!!!! omg!!" but that game isn't going to be much different than the ones out right now.

Oh well.

I hope Blizzard doesn't continue World of Warcraft, they could just make something else, maybe continue with Warcraft 4 like they said they would when the teams finished their current projects. That wow is just terribly boring, I played when it launched in 2004 for a bit, quit rather fast.

I mean really, they've just been milking that dead cow for 6 years. Why don't those necromancers at Blizzard move onto something else ?

Personally I can't wait for Aion this year and later APB. I'm hoping they will revive my interest for mmos.

Originally posted by desiriel

 

It seems so few care or think of:

WARHAMMER 40,000 MMO

It's surprising Jon didn't even mention it. It has the potential to be a real AAA success.

Mind you, of course, that Mythic made such a crap out of the Warhammer Fantasy IP and that injected further delusion in MMO/Games Workshop followers but by 2012 WH40K should be out.

Your opinions ? Jon or any MMORPG.com staff around with an idea on the matter ?

 

Recent MMOs have been developed with nothing more in mind than making a fast buck. I see a simple back to basics MMO creeping into the top 10, where reduced world size and community matter rather than a win in 10 minutes guild scenario arrises.

Good IPs still exist to be developed but in reality these just equate to a quick nostalga fix. MMOs being used as representative Arena games are just not viable , MMO game mechanics that promote smaller group sizes  is what I see as the way forward.

Originally posted by Guintu

Originally posted by Zorvan

Originally posted by Guintu

Originally posted by Dana

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Star Trek won't be big because it's design veers too far from the appeal of the TV shows.

SWTOR won't be big because it's going to be a massively single-player game. It will be big at first, but then people will see how limited its group gameplay is. Concentratrion on story will divide players, not unite them.

 

You do your name justice ;) hehe

Seriously though, I am curious what games you think Jon missed on there. Clearly, there will be a top 10 games. Should be fun to hear all the opinions.

 

One game he missed was Stargate Worlds. 

I do hope by 2012 there is a game that beats WoW, it got boring a long time ago.

 

Trust me, he didn't miss it. It ain't happening.

And how do you know this?  The Scifi channel is in on it so it has a good chance of happening.  I think this is the game scifi channel has been talking about thats going to happen with the show.

How do I know this? Why don't you try keeping up with current events in the Stagate Worlds section, k? And there is no "Scifi" channel anymore. It's SyFy.

Originally posted by desiriel

 

It seems so few care or think of:

WARHAMMER 40,000 MMO

It's surprising Jon didn't even mention it. It has the potential to be a real AAA success.

Mind you, of course, that Mythic made such a crap out of the Warhammer Fantasy IP and that injected further delusion in MMO/Games Workshop followers but by 2012 WH40K should be out.

Your opinions ? Jon or any MMORPG.com staff around with an idea on the matter ?

 

I'm not MMORPG.com staff but I was Games Workshop staff at one point in time and speaking from that point of reference and in light of the current trend in MMO design I can say without a doubt that I don't think the "theme-park" method of making MMOs would do 40K justice and if Vigil (the company under THQ that is developing the 40K MMO) is putting together a level-based, quest hub heavy theme-park game it'll do no better than WAR. If that.

A very enjoyable and insightful read. I agree with most your list except for Aion success, which is questionable in the west, and APB mostly because I don't know much about that title.

Yes WoW will still be ranked high on the list. Despite the rantings of its detracters Blizzard got a lot of things right that appeal to a wide audience. It may not be the BEST at anything but it does very well at all things.

I'm really hopeful that ArenaNet can pull rabbit out of the hat with GW2.  I love the IP, and am hoping that with more money in their pocket they can take it to the next level. I just wish we could get more information, anything at all.

Originally posted by Scot

Was this cystal ball or navel gazzing? :)

Either way, WoW will only fade oonce its graphics become totally outdated, that will come at about the four to five year point. Blizzard will be thinking of a WoW 2 realease for arround then, so don't hold your breath it may last another ten years.

Umm... you do realize that WoW's release date was November 23, 2004... right?

So, that "four to five year point" is already well past it's mid-way point.  This coming November (just 3 months away) will mark the 5 year point for WoW. 

Just an FYI. 

Sadly, I share your own fears. It's the same reason I think SWTOR will be "another of the same" and I'm skeptic about STO too.

It'd be a shame, however. WARHAMMER 40K would have all the ingredients (in gameplay, in background/lore and in visuals) to be a real blast.

After years of delusions, buggy games and boring grinds for "WTFOMG" armor sets, I decided finally to overcome my doubts and tried EVE. I've been playing at it for almost a year by now and it gets more addicting and surprising every passing day. Too bad it's still the only deep/mature/well-made and supported MMO out there and it'll stay so for the immediate next years. Jon is right in putting it in his top-10 2012 list.

What? no place for the Warhammer 40k MMO?  I know lots of people excited about this game.