Why No MMO May Ever Top World of Warcraft Over the past seventeen years, many MMORPGs have attempted to dethrone World of Warcraft . New IPs and established franchises alike have all dipped their toes into the MMORPG pool, but few have lasted and none have had as big an impact as World of Warcraft. With another new MMORPG on the horizon from Amazon Games called New World, it's worth exploring just how and why Blizzard's smash-hit has stayed on top for so long.To get more news about Buy WoW Items, you can visit lootwowgold.com official website. It seems unlikely that another game in the MMO genre would be able to come out of obscurity like World of Warcraft and be instantly successful. This is down to a couple of large factors that WoW had at launch. Firstly, when it was released on the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise in 2004, there was not a lot of competition in the MMORPG field. Secondly, the title had something for everyone, and was a complete package with near limitless content - a rarity in the current gaming industry. These factors allowed World of Warcraft to establish a gaming zeitgeist in a way that would be arguably unheard of until Fortnite took over the battle royale genre in 2017. It's difficult to imagine Blizzard before World of Warcraft, but prior to the successful launch of its first MMORPG the company mainly developed real-time strategy games like Starcraft and the original Warcraft games. While there were a small handful of MMORPGs before World of Warcraft, and some like EverQuest were successful, it's undeniable that WoW shaped the genre into what it is today. WoW created a sense of community and conflict through the Alliance and Horde divisions. It had such an impact on popular culture that even people who don't play video games would be able to name World of Warcraft. In the decades since Blizzard's first games, the company has become known for supporting its titles for years after the initial release. World of Warcraft has received eight major expansion packs. This unceasing support means that players can always just jump back where they left off. No matter how long it has been since the last play session, players know that there will still be others roaming around Azeroth. It's such a long-established title that it's difficult to imagine a brand-new game even trying to take its place. After the release and success of World of Warcraft, other MMORPGs attempted to find a niche. Be it an involved storyline, unique factions, or different gameplay styles, countless MMOs tried to separate themselves from WoW through unique takes on the MMORPG genre. However, the thing most of these titles forget is ease of access. World of Warcraft was just as appealing and easy to get sucked into for hardcore gaming veterans as it was for people who had never touched a video game. There was plenty of story and endgame content for those who wanted it, as well as lots of pretty scenery and places to explore. In WoW, there's always something to do, and the player rarely feels forced to do something they don't want. Finally, World of Warcraft launched in a complete, albeit messy, state. Blizzard was not prepared for the massive influx of player interest in World of Warcraft, and the initial release was buggy and plagued with connectivity issues. These launch issues are something that many other games, not just MMORPGs, go through now. However, once those issues got ironed out, WoW reached super-stardom in the games industry and hasn't been toppled. Many of WoW's MMORPG competitors launch an incomplete game and add content afterward, which risks players getting bored of waiting. All these factors combined make it highly unlikely that the MMORPG genre will see another entry on the same level as World of Warcraft. Like other genre-defining titles such as Fortnite and Minecraft, there are always many others that attempt to capture the same magic as the originals but hardly ever reach the same heights. While World of Warcraft certainly isn't as popular as it once was, it is still undeniably one of the most played MMOs in the world, and will likely continue to be in the near future. |