Virtual Worlds #1: Two Million and Counting
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Category: News ArchiveHits: 971
The perception of the major mainstream publishers seems to be that the only MMORPG you can sell to the hardcore market is a fantasy-themed one, and that's just plain wrong. If almost all the top-ranking MMOs right now are fantasy themed, it's because all the others have been flawed in one way or another. Either they're buggy like Anarchy Online, lacking long-term play incentives like Planetside, or just too low profile, like City of Heroes.
Of course, the counter-example to this argument is MMORPG specialist NCSoft. Leaving aside the Lineages, the only fantasy-themed MMO they're publishing is Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, and that's hardly traditionally styled. Here's a company that's not afraid to innovate, and it's got a good chance of striking gold with either Auto Assault or City of Villains.