Sony: Facebook MMOG Will Dwarf WoW

[John Funk]

Sony: Facebook MMOG Will Dwarf WoW

The lead designer of EverQuest thinks that one day, an MMOG will do to WoW what WoW did to the industry - completely eclipse its subscriber base - and it might be through social networking sites like Facebook.

In the four-and-a-half years since WoW took the world by storm, it's faced potential would-be "WoW killer" after "WoW killer." Warhammer, Conan, Vanguard, Guild Wars ... the list of challengers is long, and none of them have succeeded. Still, Ryan Barker - current lead designer of the MMOG grandfather EverQuest - thinks that one day, it'll happen, but it won't be from a challenger we see coming.: Whatever knocks WoW off its 11.5 million-subscriber throne will be "something totally different that we haven't even thought of yet."

The main problem, Barker thinks, is simply getting people into the game and not intimidating them with long-time veterans and powerful player characters. "At some point someone will dwarf those numbers with a game. If we can get passed some of the barriers that are keeping people from playing with their friends, just because their friends happened to start the game before they did, and maybe started on a different server or whatever, if we can start to get rid of some of those social blocks, I think it can get even better."

So, he suggests, why not something like Facebook? "Facebook doesn't care how long you've been on Facebook ... Things like that show us that there are a lot of people out there that are interested in being involved in an internet community, especially with all the apps on Facebook, in playing casual games. At some point someone's going to do an MMO that really caters to that group, and is going to have a billion subscribers or whatever. There's another ceiling somewhere that we haven't hit yet."

A billion subscribers? Tall order there, Ryan.

Of course, once we're all plugged into the Matrix, I suppose that it'll be like an MMOG, and we'll all be playing. I guess that'd have more than a billion subscribers, sure.

(Videogamer [http://www.videogamer.com/news/sony_warcraft_will_eventually_be_dwarfed.html])

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[JRCB]

A Facebook MMO?

That has got to be one of the worst places to market an MMO. From what I've seen, not many gamers even use Facebook, and I'm sure the people who use Facebook wouldn't be interested in the slightest.

 

[Sir Ollie]

Hahaha Facebook MMO that made my day!

 

[Rhayn]

Facebook? Seriously?

I mean... What?

I don't see the correlation. How does a social networking site have anything in common with an MMO apart from the social aspect?

*baffled*

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Sony: Facebook MMO Will Dwarf WoW

I see what you did there.

 

[Kiutu]

Maybe if Sony says they will suck or fail, they will do well? So far when they boast, they fail, so maybe they have some sort of opposite effect power.

 

[Hazy]

A Facebook MMO?

That has got to be one of the worst places to market an MMO. From what I've seen, not many gamers even use Facebook, and I'm sure the people who use Facebook wouldn't be interested in the slightest.

"Add Picture!"
"YES! My Hitpoints have just doubled!"

 

[Jumplion]

Well, I use Facebook every now and again and there already some kinds of games similar to MMOs though not quite. For some reason I'm addicted to "Mafia Wars" and it has a few million players itself as well as various other applications.

I wouldn't be too surprised now that I think of it, though it's a whiles off.

And really guys? Who says that it's a gamer thing? Who says you need gamers on Facebook to make it successful, what the hell are you guys on? A person playing an MMO is a gamer regardless of how much they've played, this mythical Facebook MMO doesn't exactly need gamers to make it successful now does it?

Infact, he says it himself'

"Facebook doesn't care how long you've been on Facebook ... Things like that show us that there are a lot of people out there that are interested in being involved in an internet community, especially with all the apps on Facebook, in playing casual games. At some point someone's going to do an MMO that really caters to that group, and is going to have a billion subscribers or whatever. There's another ceiling somewhere that we haven't hit yet."

You guys need to read the article more thouroughly and use some comprehension skills.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

"At some point someone's going to do an MMO that really caters to that group, and is going to have a billion subscribers or whatever. There's another ceiling somewhere that we haven't hit yet."

It's so easy to imagine him saying that in a rambling hippie voice. He sounds like he has no idea what he even means.

 

[Dragonblade146]

*rofl*
Your kidding right?
Facebook isn't an MMO.
So it doesn't really count against WoW.
And comming from the Lead Designer of Everquest?
Whom WoW, utterly beat out? Please. He is pissed and wants them to go away.

 

[WoW4Ever]

First, he is using Facebook as an example of a large social network and adding a gaming aspect to it. Think ... Facebook with a wii interface. You could play golf with buddies from your home. Add voice over ..... cool

 

[Senial]

I don't care if YoutTwitFace made an MMO. Nothing will ever be able to drive a stake into the cold heart of the king off MMOs, World of Warcraft.

Youtube + Twitter + Facebook = YouTwitFace(If you can tell me who I stole that from I'll buy you something)

 

[Zeromaxx]

Ryan Barker should be glad he doesn't live in Texas, a group of people would execute him for that statement.

 

[wordsmith]

I don't care if YoutTwitFace made an MMO. Nothing will ever be able to drive a stake into the cold heart of the king off MMOs, World of Warcraft.

Youtube + Twitter + Facebook = YouTwitFace(If you can tell me who I stole that from I'll buy you something)

Conan O'brien?

 

[Brotherofwill]

Seems probable to me. It won't be a proper mmo but that doesn't matter especially if it is designed with casual gamers in mind. Isn't there this casual or atleast kid-friendly mmo that has a few million subscribers already? It might be free, but a few million members speaks for itself.

Btw, why is Sony in the title? Is the designer of Everquest working at Sony or are you just trying to get some more views? Actually even if he is working there the title seems hardly appropriate, it's kind of like having one that says:

"Microsoft: Molyneux's Natal to Cure Cancer"

I'd change it to prevent confusion from fanboys that don't read articles and just post after seeing the title.

 

[Jumplion]

Take two things I avoid like the plague, social networking sites and (usually subscription-based) massively multiplayer wankfest games, and combine them to create quite possibly the most retarded idea since they thought up drilling holes in peoples heads to cure a headache (or possession by Satan). Hoo-fucking-rah.

How so, I'm sincerly wondering? Facebook has over 200 million active users, if even 10% of those people, hell even 5% of those people, participate in an MMO-like game, either made by Facebook, advertised by Facebook, or sponsered by Facebook, then it's already passed WoW in terms of players.

This is just another way of saying the "casuals will take over the world!" or something, is it that hard to believe that an MMO would connect with Facebook and they would recruit players through the network? THat's what I think when I read this article, recruitment.