I will laugh until my sides turn red if blizzards new MMO is a sandbox and is a huge hit.  First MMOs are for 'hardcore gamers only' and not casual gamers.  Blizzard proves them wrong.  Now its 'nobody wants to make a sandbox because casual gamers don't like it'...  Prove them wrong Blizzard!!

Originally posted by WhySoShort

Originally posted by Gudrunix

My predictions, for what they're worth:

• Diablo 3 hits later than anticipated (easy prediction; Blizzard is always late in releasing major titles), probably some time in the summer
• Mists of Pandaria hits on schedule, but only after having major features cut at the last minute (anyone anticipating it hitting earlier than scheduled is dreaming; has Blizzard *ever* released a title early in its entire history?)
• Blizzard keeps Titan in the freezer after its management decides not to do anything that would interfere with the WoW cash cow in any way
• Secret World severely disappoints
• Guild Wars 2 releases in the fall, to favorable reviews, but does not quite meet expectations
• Star Wars: The Old Republic cranks out content to keep subscriptions up and manages to stay alive
• Rift continues to dwindle toward Vanguard-esque irrelevance, with a small but highly dedicated player base that is not quite enough to fund new development
• Mobile MMOs continue to disappoint
• MOBAs continue to strengthen, with League of Legends dominating the market, Heroes of Newerth following in a distant second place, and Dota 2 prompting everyone to ask:  why, exactly, did Valve decide to invest so much into developing a game that is a straightforward but mediocre copy of a freely downloadable custom maps

A little bleak, but very likely, I shouldn't wonder.

+1.  Quality predictions.  

I think that SWTOR will running strong as free to play by the end of 2012 or early 2013.  That is the only change to these predictions I would make.

I think that the OP predictions are also good.  I think Titan will be announced 2013 but its possible they'll announce it late 2012.

WoW is not going anywhere... It will be around 2 decades from now, like EQ is.  Hell EQ will be around 2 decades from now.  :-)  Might be free to play though, sometime before TItan is released!

Originally posted by wormywyrm

 

I think that SWTOR will running strong as free to play by the end of 2012 or early 2013.  That is the only change to these predictions I would make.

 

LOL.  Simply hilarious.

Originally posted by Cthulhu23

Originally posted by wormywyrm

I think that SWTOR will running strong as free to play by the end of 2012 or early 2013.  That is the only change to these predictions I would make.

LOL.  Simply hilarious.

This game has low long term playability due to its focus on story based content which will push them towards expanding their user base via strategies like F2P.  What is hilarious?

Originally posted by MikeB

I really do hope that THQ and co. rethink the two faction deal for 40K. Three or more factions are really necessary for a proper Warhammer experience, IMO.

^^THIS^^

Originally posted by wormywyrm

Originally posted by Cthulhu23

Originally posted by wormywyrm

I think that SWTOR will running strong as free to play by the end of 2012 or early 2013.  That is the only change to these predictions I would make.

LOL.  Simply hilarious.

This game has low long term playability due to its focus on story based content which will push them towards expanding their user base via strategies like F2P.  What is hilarious?

Regardless of whether it's probable of TOR going F2P, freemium, or whatever- EA/Bioware could make a killing with adventure packs as DLC in a cash shop. With the game's strong focus on story of course players would want to get more voiced story arcs for their toons.

And Star Wars: The OId Republic will own the year that is 2012 and will continue to be the one MMO to rule them all, The Chosen One. Plus there will be a new term called the TOR Killer, but one will not come for a long time. Yet there maybe one in the distant future. Maybe another Star Wars MMO or maybe the fabled Mass Effect MMO. Only time will tell. All this was foretold by the wise MMO Sages of old. The prophecy read that one day  The Chosen One would  come and will rule them all. And The Chosen One has come and The Chosen One was born on December 20th, 2011. Unto a  virgin MMORPG developer named Bioware, who was without the sins of the Harlot MMORPG developer named Sony Online Entertainment. So it was written and so it has come to pass. Rejoice O' MMO Gamer, Rejoice. For we are now in a Golden Age of Online Interactive Entertainment. Oh Plus the prophecy as fortold that The Beast know as World of Warcraft will be cast in to the abyss in 2012, along with its evil creator named Blizzard aka Diablo himself. Freeing the poor WOW slaves from their bondage forever. Amen.

Originally posted by wormywyrm

Originally posted by WhySoShort

Originally posted by Gudrunix

My predictions, for what they're worth:

• 
  
  
  Diablo 3 hits later than anticipated (easy prediction; Blizzard is always late in releasing major titles), probably some time in the summer




• 
  
  
  Mists of Pandaria hits on schedule, but only after having major features cut at the last minute (anyone anticipating it hitting earlier than scheduled is dreaming; has Blizzard *ever* released a title early in its entire history?)




• 
  
  
  Blizzard keeps Titan in the freezer after its management decides not to do anything that would interfere with the WoW cash cow in any way




• 
  
  
  Secret World severely disappoints




• 
  
  
  Guild Wars 2 releases in the fall, to favorable reviews, but does not quite meet expectations




• 
  
  
  Star Wars: The Old Republic cranks out content to keep subscriptions up and manages to stay alive




• 
  
  
  Rift continues to dwindle toward Vanguard-esque irrelevance, with a small but highly dedicated player base that is not quite enough to fund new development




• 
  
  
  Mobile MMOs continue to disappoint




• 
  
  
  MOBAs continue to strengthen, with League of Legends dominating the market, Heroes of Newerth following in a distant second place, and Dota 2 prompting everyone to ask:  why, exactly, did Valve decide to invest so much into developing a game that is a straightforward but mediocre copy of a freely downloadable custom maps

A little bleak, but very likely, I shouldn't wonder.

+1.  Quality predictions.  

I think that SWTOR will running strong as free to play by the end of 2012 or early 2013.  That is the only change to these predictions I would make.

I think that the OP predictions are also good.  I think Titan will be announced 2013 but its possible they'll announce it late 2012.

 

You are dreaming if you think SWTOR will go F2P

Originally posted by purewitz

And Star Wars: The OId Republic will own the year that is 2012 and will continue to be the one MMO to rule them all, The Chosen One. Plus there will be a new term called the TOR Killer, but one will not come for a long time. Yet there maybe one in the distant future. Maybe another Star Wars MMO or maybe the fabled Mass Effect MMO. Only time will tell. All this was foretold by the wise MMO Sages of old. The prophecy read that one day  The Chosen One would  come and will rule them all. And The Chosen One has come and The Chosen One was born on December 20th, 2011. Unto a  virgin MMORPG developer named Bioware, who was without the sins of the Harlot MMORPG developer named Sony Online Entertainment. So it was written and so it has come to pass. Rejoice O' MMO Gamer, Rejoice. For we are now in a Golden Age of Online Interactive Entertainment. Oh Plus the prophecy as fortold that The Beast know as World of Warcraft will be cast in to the abyss in 2012, along with its evil creator named Blizzard aka Diablo himself. Freeing the poor WOW slaves from their bondage forever. Amen.

 

... so EA is Joseph in that particular scenario?

Forgot to add that SWTOR will be shut down.

All that follows are some random guy`s subjective opinions...so treat it that way. Its not supposed to be promoted as objective. Many ppl will disagree proly

1) SWTOR will be losing subs - the extent will determine if it goes F2P or not (my guess is not in 2012, but in 2013 for sure).

2) Secret world - There is not much known about this game yet and even though I would kinda like it to succeed, I am afraid that it will not become a major player on mmo field.

3) Diablo 3 - I expect success, I mean...its diablo, the game most of us have been waiting for for years now. Its from Blizzard, I dont really remember any major title from Blizz that failed. Also the beta reviews are more than positive. The release being in February is arguable...dont expect it to hit much later than that tho. Def not earlier

4) WoW - I am STILL an active player of WoW. However, I am really looking forward to leaving it for good once a new mmo that would be worth it hits the market. I hope it will be before the MoP since I personally do not consider the asian panda idea to be attractive. Also I do not see any major changes to the game itself. It will be like 5 new dungeons, 3 new raids, BGs, Arena, some pve games,...been there...done that...dont have the power to go through another expansion being entertained by the same stuff again.

5) GW2 - I agree that the gameplay is good, but I would personally consider this game to be obsolete even if it hit the market in 2011. I mean...I would expect the devs to do or at least try to do something revolutionary since the mmo community is bored being bombarded with the same stuff by every new mmo. In my opinion, it will not bring anything so spectacular to become a major mmo in the market. Its just...same stuff that we have seen before. Shouldnt this year be the year of transition between 2nd and 3rd generation of MMOs?The only thing that compensates for the lack of innovation is the fact that it will be basically F2P...so ye, nice new F2P game which, in my opinion, will not be able to compete with next gen P2P titles. 

6) Titan - I expect we get some info on Titan in 2012. I also expect it to be a next gen mmo. If Blizzard wants to succeed...and by succeed I mean to create a successor of WoW that will become the new elephant in the mmo market, they have to bring something new, something amazing, something unprecedented.

7) Archeage - Now this game can be a big surprise of 2012. I was following some beta impressions and videos and read a lot about the content and the freedom given to the players. My personal feeling is that if it delivers all it includes in a way that can actually entertain people, it can easily beat all mmos like GW2, SWTOR, Rift, even Titan. At this point, it appears to be a next gen mmo.

Originally posted by wormywyrm

I will laugh until my sides turn red if blizzards new MMO is a sandbox and is a huge hit.  First MMOs are for 'hardcore gamers only' and not casual gamers.  Blizzard proves them wrong.  Now its 'nobody wants to make a sandbox because casual gamers don't like it'...  Prove them wrong Blizzard!!

i REALY hope you are right on this one.....i can dream cant i? hehe

But reality will be more like something e-sport/ladder kinda mmo me thinks.

They need something new to shine next to SC2 e-sports and wow pvp battlegrounds (hmm also e-sports).

They already showing (if you can listen closely in their interviews) that all their games (see also the upcomming D3) will include some form of e-sports.

I have nothing against this but it will always be TOO controlled by blizz......player content isnt under their controle and thereby will not happen.

So dont even think blizz will EVER make a sandbox.

My hopes are that Archeage will deliver some of the sandbox goods UO used to have.

GW2 in SEPTEMBER??? NO WAY!!

GW2 is coming out this April, at latest!

Zenimax isn't actually developing an MMO, Interplay is.  Interplay are the guys who first published Fallout in 1997 under Bethesda's banner.  They just settled a law suit and its in question whether or not this game will come out.  Makes #5 a 50:50

Originally posted by Scot

The thing that strikes you throughout the predictions is that they are so remarkably upbeat. MMO’s just go from strength to strength each year. That would be so wonderful if it were not wrong.

 

10) Mobile MMO’s are the latest in a long line of trends towards simplicity; they are on mobiles so they don’t have the processing power. We saw what happened to MMO’s when they started to be made for consoles as well as PC’s, simplistic graphics, dodgy PC controls. I am not saying graphics have not improved, but they are improving at a console pace, not a PC pace. Worst of all though is the expansion of the player base. Consoles brought in loads of teenagers which made MMO’s loose much of their maturity and finally be made for those less mature.

 

Now we have mobiles, wake up guys, what do you think is going to happen to MMO’s now? What age group is on their mobile’s all the time? What age group spends more money on throw away consumables than any other? MMO’s will become even more the domain of the under 20’s. But not only that, mobiles are not a gaming device, consoles are, MMO designers will do their best to be as inclusive of everyone who owns a mobile. The further influence of mobiles will be change the nature of what a MMO is, I really don’t want to spend my MMO life looking after a farm.

 

9) Social media are taking over gaming, but that’s not a good thing. Games were once made for gamers, now there is a shift to make them for Facepalm uses and Twitless types. I do know gamers use these sites, maybe you do? But you are a minority there, the new games will move in the direction of the majority, business always goes where the money is.

 

8) I agree that there will be fusion between different MMO genres, but we have seen that before and it has not always been a resounding success. Here it’s painted as if nothing can go wrong. We have already ended up with games that are a mish-mash of ideas pandering to everyone and satisfying no one long term. More of the same seems certain in the New Year.

 

7) The great hope is indie MMO’s but MMO’s started out as being rather ‘indie’ themselves. They were niche games made by newcomers as much as established gaming companies. Fifteen years later and they are totally corporate in outlook. How long before the indie companies are snapped up by the giants? EA, Sony, Times-Warner…there are some very big beasts out there who want a bite of every pie.

 

6 and 5) More hype on the way…yeah!

 

4) Breaking news…WoW will release a new expansion in 2012. This is wonderful surprise news for the MMO genre! Oh and more hype on the way!

 

3) More hype on the way…yeah!

 

2) More hype on the way…yeah!

 

1) The granddaddy of all Hype will begin as Blizzard announces their new MMO. More hype on the way…yeah!

 

 

In conclusion 2012 MMO will be a year of little innovation, more easymode and the trend of MMO’s to become designed for people who are not gamers will continue. Oh and one heck of a lot of hype. Yeah its going to be a real ‘doozy’. :)

 

 I would disagree with the conclusion. In my opinion, there is a revolution coming to the world of mmo. Devs realize that the traditional mmo`s will no longer attract enough players since we are all looking for a change, for something new. Declining WoW imo kind of proves that players are fed up with old, traditional ways of doing things. Consequently, little innovation would not really make enough profit. (Rift and SWTOR will fail because all they bring is the same old boredom)

I`d say that announcement of Titan (and maybe even ArcheAge) will bring a tremendous change to the MMO`s - so called NEXT GEN MMOs.

if thats the only big ne3ws for 2012 it's gonna be a damn stale years for mmos. you left out the sunstone valley expansion coming to free realms i believe spring of this year. and cummon tor is gonna have a big content push this year...and what about the game trion is developing with syfy what happened to that

Nice one, but why not yet Reader's GOTY? Maybe because you cannot do EAWare SW:CRAP more advertising?

And, btw, still no innovation? Well, i still remain on F2P games. Call me when we should have a really innovative great game. Because grinding MMOs are boring, now and forever.

1. Anybody who believes SWTOR is going to go F2P this year I would like a wager. This is going to be the mmo that is going to win the most subs at the end of the year. Mark my words, no matter what you think of it, or what it needs it is going to win the most subs.  Especially if they are on point with the expansions and new content patches.

2. TSW is going to set the standard for the niche AAA mmorpg. Yes Funcom messed up on the past on its mmos- before Ragnar was in charge. this guy being in charge of a mmo is a big big deal. The only reason this game is not going to be the high sub game is because its content is too high end intelligencia for the common mmorpg gamer, and I am glad its this way. I expect to see alot of whining posts about the game being boring by alot of the casuals or typical themepark crowd, or asking why the game doesn't have FFA pvp, and I am gong to smile because this is not the game for either one of those groups. This is the game for the old school PC gamers who enjoyed The Longest Journey and Dreamfall as well as games like Planescape:Torment. TSW is going to be the PC nerds mmo, and that is good in my eyes. It will have smaller sub numbers with a hardcore fanbase. Which is all that Funcom needs. Ragnar is not going to let his baby fail. I am willing to place a bet on that one. Any takers?

3. GW2 is seriously being overhyped by its fans,  its also another mmorpg with the same tired old storyline the world vs the dragons- again. Haven't we seen this before? I mean hey I'm going to get this game because its B2P mainly but I honestly think that this and Copernicus and WoW being out at the same time is going to pretty much kill the Euro fantasy themepark mmorpg. If SOE- asses they are really make EQNEXT a sandbox they are going to clean house.  The EURO fantasy AAA themepark is on its way out. Tired cliche storylines, tired cliche presentation of races is going to make this sub genre obsolete. 

Zenimax IS making a TES mmorpg,and even if it  has half the features its single player games have these other fantasy mmos are dead. Euro fantasy mmo developers really need to take a look at the stories they are providing- they are killing their own genre with their presentation and they need to leave the dragon thing along for a very very looong time. Golems, Demons, Vampires whatever, just please please stop it with all the dragons already, to a CASUAL mmo fan your game looks no different from WoW. Come up with a new big bad for once and leave all the typical ones alone, and please god some fresh new takes on races (how bout some damn evil elves for once eh? I mean you see them all the time in other gaming genres).

GW2 will be a good game, but it is not going to save the world and its not going to live to expectations because the expectations are too damn high right now and I will say it again, its PRESENTATION when it comes to world design (not gameplay features) does not set it apart enough for the casual mmo player. This is going to be a niche AAA mmo with alot of its box sales coming from the PVP crowd who brought the previous version, and those like myself who will buy it because its B2P and I do not see this game launching before TSW. I think its going to launch between June and September myself. I honestly think they blew it with the world design and the one thing that made GW ridiculously cool- its humans. By putting all the humans under one roof and basically one choice, they lost what makes them special. These guys really could have pushed their various human races in their advertising, because outside of fantasy nerds if you think Asuras or the plant elf race would be more popular than a seperate Canthan or Elonian race with their own starting areas then you are seriously mistaken. It was a mistake to focus on the non human races. The Charr is the only one worth mentioning, the rest are a bunch of tired fantasy cliches and the Asura is a bit to animeish for the typical western EURO fantasy gamer, yes I know you love it, but the average mmo player- esp casuals will not. Not having a focus on Cantha and Elona and letting them have their own starting areas from day one is a big big mistake. Seems like even in 2012 devs still have no idea of player race representation in their mmorpgs and how to cash in on this, and this is very very sad.  If they focused on their various flavors of humans more and really plugged them they would be placed into a different category outside of WoW that B2P model would also reaaally help with this kind of focus. *Puts a niche AAA mmorpg stamp on this one.

4. Wildstar is not coming this year, but as more and more gets revealed about it its going to attract a very very interested fanbase. Personally I think this game if done as the devs say they are going to do it  is going to set the new standard of the sandpark (themepark/sandbox) mmo. Which is going to be a damn good thing.

5. The rise of the Asian mmorpg in america- Archeage if picked up is going to also set some good standards, we wont see it till 2013 and it will never be the commercial hit  that many think it should be, but it will also be a new entry in what I think will be another future mmorpg staple- the niche AAA mmorpg. I just hope that they can get the combat down right. Bad enough that they are going to have to deal with close minded racist americans who won't play an asian mmo because it looks "animeish'' *facepalms. Age of Wulin also looks promising with some of its features like your toon turning into an npc when you log off. Yes the game is gong to be niche, but it does have features that devs need to take notice on.

6. THQ is going to kill its own mmo with that damn two faction mess, especially with Planetside 2 coming out. I don't think these guys know what they have honestly. I want WAR 40k to do very well but I don't think its going to. Planetside 2 is going to strangle this game in the mmofps category because I have a funny feeling that THQ is not going to focus on the Warhammer fans more than they are going to focus on the fps fans.

7. Tera is going to be the fantasy DCUO with less subs, Lineage Eternal looks like its going to whoop the butt of Diablo 3, and GW2 will launch after TSW.

 8. There will be one wildcard mmo announcement this year. I don't know what it is but I can feel it in my bones. Its going to be signififcant.