Sad to say, after a highly disappointing year, 2009 does not look too thrilling either for MMOs.

Unless we see a random stroke of genius out of leftfield, the next couple of years look bleak.

The main hope, IMO, is that WAR somehow turns itself around.

As for the old ones, I suspect they'll start to dry up.

Look for hybridized subscription models to become more prevelant. Keep it free. Then give those on a small budget a decent benefit for a flat rate. Then give the opportunity for those that have cash to spend to drop money on cash shop benefits. Maximize revenue and keep everyone more or less "happy",.

All you have to do is take a good look at the upcoming mmos listed on this site and just feel the disappointment heading our way again, well atleast for the first half of the year.  

What about Aion? Do you guys think that will suck? I been keeping up with the videos on youtube and it actually looks half way decent.

If you look at the top most anticipated games on this site you will find they are all graphically good. That’s all we have to go on, so we order our preference on the basis of the videos and stills we see. Or like KothOR we use the reasoning that we liked the solo game so we are going to like the MMO.

Crazy reasoning really. This tells us nothing about gameplay but then its hard to easily evaluate gameplay in a game you are not in.

Those who say that AOC will close down in 2009 are day dreaming.

Its a horrible mmo alright  no contest there but they will get enough moolah

AOC will be launched for Xbox360 , I feel it will be more sucessful as a single player or coop mode style game perfect for xbox360

They will also launch the expansion with n no of hype and expectation 90% of which will fall flat but that wont stop a million of player s to grab a copy of the expansion.

Tabula Rasa might have survived had they mad it F2P with cash option

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Originally posted by Azrile
 
Funcom (AOC / AO) will probably be down before I finish posting this reply.
My Dead pool for 2009
1.  AOC/ AO  = 100%

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Ahahaha this made me laugh but ok here we go:

01. WoW = 100%
02. Eve Online = 100%
03. Lotro = 100%

p.s. Dont laugh Azrile started it :)

Originally posted by dterry

With the deteriorating world economic situation, will large numbers of fringe/struggling MMO's go the way of the Dodo? I suspect we could see large numbers of closures as struggling parent corporations cut loose their baggage in attempts to become more profitable.

Do you guys agree and if so, which MMO's do you think get the axe?

I definitely do not agree. Hard economic times will just make people seek cheap alternatives and thus cheap entertainment. Now that internet is a "must have" to many, the extra cost of an MMOG or two is something most can afford. It's cheaper than travel, partying, going to the movies, renting or buying DVDs, etc. If anything, I think current gamers will bring in more friends and family to MMOGs.

However, some MMOGs are definitely in the danger zone. Tabula Rasa is closing soon, and with the latest games closing down we've seen a more or less standard model for closing down a subscription game being developed, paving the way for other non-profitable titles to be axed by their investors without too much thought needed on how.

I won't speculate exactly which games will go down, as I have no interest in provoking their supporters or saddening their developers. Instead I wish them all the best. C'mon guys, you'll be fine. :-)

I'm such a nice guy. :-p

Originally posted by dterry

With the deteriorating world economic situation, will large numbers of fringe/struggling MMO's go the way of the Dodo?

Define "large number". There haven't been that many MMOs going down yet, so 3 could be a large number for the genre. 3 might happen. 20 won't.

Originally posted by Gravarg

well maybe not go out of business, but surely file for bankruptcy.  The only reason they added the cash shops to thier games is to bring in additional revenues.  All the cash shops will do is drive more players away than it will make money.  SOE is thinking that f2p cash shop games are making so much money with thier cash shop we'll add it to our subcription games.  This won't fly with 99% of the gaming community.  If I won the lottery or had a million dollars then I could careless, but until that happens, SOE is in a world of hurt, and in their own masochistic way, like to hurt themselves even more.

SONYoe. Do you really think they don't have money?

Originally posted by sassoonss

Those who say that AOC will close down in 2009 are day dreaming.

Its a horrible mmo alright  no contest there but they will get enough moolah

 AOC will be launched for Xbox360 , I feel it will be more sucessful as a single player or coop mode style game perfect for xbox360

 They will also launch the expansion with n no of hype and expectation 90% of which will fall flat but that wont stop a million of player s to grab a copy of the expansion.

A console version and an expansion are the LAST things Funcom should be doing right now.

Development costs for a console version and especially an expansion would completely deplete whatever profits Funcom has made with AoC.

Also, whatever meager sales they could manage would be not be enough to off set the development costs and for high end graphics like AoC you can be assured the development costs would be rather high.

Funcom needs to build their reputation back up so people trust them before they release any new products, otherwise they would just be committing suicide.

Originally posted by Nadia

I doubt there will be any new deaths in 2009 

(beyond Tabula Rasa and Hellgate London)

 

mmo deaths are uncommon  in context to the new mmos that launch

 

2004 - Earth and Beyond

2005 - Asherons Call 2

2006 - none

2007 - Auto Assault

2008 - Sims Online, Dark and Light

2009 - TR and HGL

I agree, Nadia. I also doubt any new deaths of MMO's in 2009 (except those you mentioned).

Thanks for the list, I sometimes need a handy little list of the few closed mmos and now you  made it easy for me :)

You are missing one mmo that died in 2006 though, Seed from Runestone. Granted the game was stillborn, but it was up and running for a few months :-P

The current finanial climate is causing many people to make economies but apparently not on gaming.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7814272.stm

The article is fairly pessimistic toward the end, but I am not so sure as it sort of makes sense that gaming could contuinue doing well since it provides better value for money than entertainment outside the home.

Provided the parent companies don't go bust, 2009 might actually be a good year for MMOs.