By Chris Connor – Editor-in-Chief of GameOgre.com
When Quake was the dominant first person shooter (FPS) many years ago there was constant talk about what the Quake killer would be. Now that World of Warcraft is the reigning king of MMORPGs the question is what future MMORPG has the best chance to beat World of Warcraft. None of the current MMORPG crop has a real chance to beat WoW unless one makes a drastic change that helps to evolve the industry. If World of Warcraft is surpassed anytime soon it will more likely be a new MMORPG that catches everybody’s attention.
World of Warcraft’s Gigantic Lead
WoW is on top of the MMORPG industry due to several key factors. These factors could also keep WoW on top for sometime unless the right MMORPG comes along.
- 5 million worldwide subscribers.
- Easy to learn.
- In-depth enough for most hardcore gamers.
- Mainstream attention.
- Ran by one of the best companies in gaming Blizzard.
- Was developed over many years.
- Expansion of a well-known PC game franchise.
Keys for a Killer
Without a doubt it will take a special MMO to dethrone World of Warcraft. For an MMO to have a chance against WoW it needs to capitalize heavily on several of these factors.
- Based on either a huge gaming or entertainment franchise.
- Offers a tremendous end game (after you hit the level cap).
- Cheap (well below the usual $15 per month) or free game play.
- Extensive PvP system that can satisfy hardcore gamers.
- Easy enough to learn to attract casual gamers.
- Great support.
- Creates a new niche in the genre.
- Should not be too hard or too easy to reach the level cap.
- Community that makes players feel like they are part of the game.
- Simple interface.
- Awesome 3D graphics.
- The ability to maintain servers for millions of subscribers.
The Possible Killers
What upcoming MMORPGs stand the best chance of rivaling WoW? Several of the upcoming MMOs will look to innovate the genre in different ways. Here are a few of the front runners with what they can bring to a head-on collision with World of Warcraft. They are ranked by potential impact.
Out of all the upcoming MMOs Dungeons and Dragons Online stands the best chance of being able to go head-to-head with World of Warcraft. D&D is not just a popular franchise but it is the father of all RPGs will actually provide stories and will innovate the industry with extremely deep game play.
One of the best book and movie franchises ever. Needs to succeed where Stars Wars Galaxies failed by providing an experience similar to the movies and books at launch. Look for the game to easily surpass Star Wars Galaxies if it captures the magic of the franchise but it will probably not be a genre-buster like Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Huxley stands the best chance of innovating the MMO genre since it will probably be the first real blockbuster MMOFPS. Will it have a chance against WoW? This game will probably turn a lot of heads when it comes out but it will have to prove that it can handle huge numbers of players at once with out any problems before it can be a true WoW killer.
Although it has much eye candy as any upcoming MMORPG SUN does not get as much as attention as most of the other MMOs on this list. That is a shame because this game will definitely be one to watch as it combines a single player RPG with a 3D multiplayer action game.
Auto Assault
Should provide plenty of excitement and carve out a nice little nice as a car combat MMO. Like City of Heroes when it first came out Auto Assault will need to be able to keep players excited with enough depth if it wants to be a major MMORPG.
Sci-fi/fantasy MMO that is sure to turn heads when it is released due to the awesome looking robot battle units that you can control and jaw-dropping graphics. The blend of fantasy and sci-fi has a little bit of a Japanese cartoon feel to it that should set RF Online apart from other major games in the genre.
Without question a pirate MMO is a welcome change since fantasy and sci-fi seem to be done to death these days. Who wouldn’t want to sail the high seas looking for adventures ship battles and stealing booty. Look for this one to be a leader in the non-fantasy niche.
Not only is Conan a large entertainment franchise but it also should make a great MMO with its gritty and barbaric world. How brutal will the world be? You start out alone until you are strong enough to survive in the massive part of the game. Believe or not but this game may actually do better than Lord of the Rings Online. In fact Age of Conan has the second best chance of being a rival to WoW after D&D online.
Possible Killers Ranked by Potential Impact
- Dungeons and Dragons Online
- Age of Conan
- Huxley
- RF Online
- Lord of the Rings Online
- Pirates of the Burning Sea
- Auto Assault
- SUN
I don’t really see World of Warcraft getting killed by another MMORPG considering how long it has been around, how famous it is and also not forgetting amount of content there is to tackle. It’s up to you to determine is the game better or not compared to WoW so go try different MMORPGs and then conclude what you like better and and what you don’t
Blizzard is such a big company that I don’t really see any other MMORPG dominating the scene more than WoW. Maybe Nexon has a good chance, but I feel like Nexon is more focused on having quantity of MMOs rather than just one particular MMO.
And right now, the biggest hype seems to be New World, Amazon’s newest MMO. It’s hard to tell right now if the game will be a “WoW Killer”, but considering Amazon is a massive company (and they own Twitch), anything can happen.