WoW is still a cash-cow. (See my link, above) MMOs switched from monthly subscription fees to online marketplaces and free-to-play models not only due to competitive practices, but because it was a more profitable model. Everquest is still around with a F2P model and online marketplace supporting it. (With continued expansion packs, too.) Path of Exile got picked up by TenCent last year. "MMO" style games, even if they're not competitive games, are still going fairly strong. It's the infrastructure. Back when WoW et al came out, highspeed access was not as common. Remember when having a PC didn't mean you had an internet connection? I played Ulima Online on dial-up. America Online's "Neverwinter Nights" too... America Oline. AOL... WTFI'MOLDMightysword wrote: ↑Tue, 30. Apr 19, 02:07Heh, didn't we have the same discussion 10-15 years ago? WoW was so big of a success that everyone wanted a piece of that pie. And I meant literally EVERYONE, from East to West, built from very solid and large fan base. You had Final Fantasy Online, D&D, Eldescrolls, Starwars, even proven veteran like Everquest, and gene that has nothing to do with MMO like The Sims Online, and I know there are a lot more of these names that I forgot to mention. I remember amid this "hype", there were talk about how it was the death of single player, everything was gonna be MMO from now on. Honestly it made a Single player enthusiastic like me a tinny bit of worry at the time.
Eeehh... Kinda, but maybe not really. Those might be "classic style MMOs" instead of today's sorts of "MMO'ish" experiences. Top Five MMO by Population (2018) (Just a quick link, not sure of 2019 yet) TES, Black Desert Online (relatively new, comparatively speaking) etc... There's still room for "traditional MMOs." The interesting thing to see would be to break down MMO players by the other sorts of games they play to see what their overall market impact is. Are they just fanatics for MMOs or do they have other "always online" influences.So ... I think it's kinda amazing that these days there are only TWO, TWO names that worthy of mention in the MMO genre: WoW and Final Fantasy.
And, considering user tracking, that's exactly the sorts of data that gaming companies and distributors are hunting for. But, they want the "web of influence" drawn out from this information so they know who to market to and what they want to pay for. ie:Epic Games says it doesn't use Steam data without permission - Except, it did. It downloaded users Steam friends/social lists and they apologize for doing that, stating it was basically "old code left in by mistake." Riiiight. Microsoft does it. Sony does it. I imagine Steam does it, since why the heck wouldn't it? Facebook, Youtube, everybody... It's the "getting blood out of a turnip" monetization scheme. They've finally figured out how to do it.
Indie developers.On the other hand, SP has enjoyed a Renaissance since, in fact it's in even a better shape then before. I think the "purist" find it annoying how their SP's experience is "tainted" by the tackle on online components we sometime have these day. But for me as a "moderate", I see if differently. I think SP fought a war with MMO and made MMO its bitch, and it came out with a little extra integration.
There are some SP "AAA" titles, I guess. Which ones are they and do they have online components? That'd be interesting to see and also whether or not these SP titles from "AAA" devs/producers refrain from continuous monetization schemes.
My concern is purely about manipulation of the brain on the other side of the controller/keyboard. It's not hard to manipulate people if they are part of a willing audience. You can even do it and get enthusiastic supporters. Drug dealers do that every darn day.
I agree. Making a conscious choice and enjoying one's purchase is a good thing. But, its very easy to encourage a crack addict to make additional purchases. And, if there's enough of them, then a great deal of money invested in that marketplace will revolve around various means to exploit crack addicts and a few tests of monetization schemes to supplant them by creating heroin addicts... I have no problem filling my libraries with tittle I wanted to play in between, so looking at the current eco system of gaming, I have very little to worry about.
There will still be Single Player games. As you point out, there's always going to be a market for them. But, what if the only way you can get such games is by... joining an online marketplace game-streaming service?
"In order to get this achievement and unluck fake currency to spend on our marketplace you must tag ten of your friends!" - Actual Microsoft XBox crapchievement.
Remember this? Activision patents matchmaking that encourages players to buy microtransactions Activision says it's not currently in a game...
But, this reveals the corporate mindset. This is a "back conference-room culture" reveal. This is the sort of things that planners and management discuss. Exploiting one's customer base is a common business practice and it's been around far longer than just some blacksmith who started putting his mark on swords. But, in this marketplace, you can manipulate you customer with much more than just flashy advertising and brand development. And, you get 'em young, before they have any sense, so you can get them used to being manipulated. Yes, they'll all enjoy it and have fun and feel good about giving up their money... That's how it's done.