[Venrok (Derek)]

With the new Eastern MMO releases getting delayed or canceled in the West, and newly released MMO's not living up to par, is the MMO genre a truly dying genre?

Here are some interesting articles that show the multiple perspectives of this issue:

http://www.mmogames.com/gamearticles...s-mmorpg-dead/
http://massivelyop.com/2017/07/11/mo...icient-demand/

[Mack]

I sort of believe in this. I mean, the only MMO probably still having raids existings with players willing to raid in abundance is WoW. And again, I think the focus is shifting from ability mashing to more FPS + some abilities - Destiny and Warframe are some examples.

Ofcourse the above is what I feel through out my time playing several MMOs over the past decade and witnessing the changes of how game devs made their game. I mean, SWTOR messed themselves up for players like me - when they focused on episodes based DLCs and killed the team-play aspect focused development.

[Silynn]

I don't believe this to be true. I thought the articles are kind of shallow and superficial to be honest. Like talking about 'generalities' when describing a group of people. MMOs can mean any game with 'multiplayer' aspects not on a LAN. It can be shooters, rpgs, etc.

First, we need to qualify what kind of MMO we want to discuss? Are we talking the MMOrpg? Games where you are a character (avatar) that wanders the world, quests, see other players wandering about a town (i.e. in-game hubs), join other players in parties to tackle group content, etc?

Or are we talking about MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas)? These are you shooter, etc pvp battle types with the goal of dominating other players, as you don't enter these and have the goal to lose.

I think MMOs (both types) have actually flourished. There are a lot of choices and players tend to move between them as they want for patch (i.e. content) updates. The fact that many have unique styles or features just means that they cater more to individuals than the 'masses'. I know that many may say that they are just Wow clones. Well, if you look back, Wow was the only real game in-town over 13-years ago. In those 13-years, we have seen a lot of other games. Many may say "Wow clones" which may be true in some sense as Wow was the model which changed MMORPGs.

Are MMORPGs dying? No, I don't think so. I'm sure many of us play some form in one way or another. I still play Final Fantasy XIV (1440 days subbed) and that game came out in 2013. And judging by the in-game population around the cities hubs, the game is still very healthy with regular content updates.

Are there too many MMORPGs? No. I don't think so. I think there is enough out that most players can find one that has things they will enjoy partaking in. If you only had one choice, you either like it or you don't. I like having choices. I have played a plethora of them, finding things I enjoy and other things I don't. If the things I don't care for outweigh the ones I do care for, I stop playing and move on.

On a related note, I think an interesting discussion would be the merits of subscription-based vs. free-to-play vs. buy-to-play vs. season passes.

[Sythe]

I know a lot of people who are playing MOBA's instead of MMORPGs lately because they're waiting to get a jump on a new game, and there haven't been any major released mmo releases since Black Desert they've taken interest in. If you look at gaming company profits many are doing well, though there are companies closing their games down or changing them (Secret World). I don't think the MMO industry will be dying any time soon.

[ZenMasterChip]

Are MMORPGs dying? No, I don't think so. I'm sure many of us play some form in one way or another. I still play Final Fantasy XIV (1440 days subbed) and that game came out in 2013. And judging by the in-game population around the cities hubs, the game is still very healthy with regular content updates.

What Silynn says...I'm of that mind... but I can only say, "Man, I sure hope not! I will say I play the obvious, STO! This can only be good with all the new Star Trek shows that have come out and continue to thrive on streaming services and the never-ending reruns on various networks for STO. Of course, it would be better if Paramount promoted STO, but yeah, sure, why would they? I know a few STO players who are still active, but for them, it means getting on once a month to collect their 400 Zen from the lifetime account; they're also still getting new stuff from events. That's not much uptime for them, but they're still active, even if it's only a few days a month or on a weekend. I took a five-year hiatus, and I'm back full-time for now. I used to play WoW, but when your sole reason for playing is to play with your spouse, who then gets carpal tunnel and has to quit... out of support, you leave with them. (sniff) I miss WoW! That said, I'm a sample of one, and if I count some friends, perhaps... things are slow now, but sometimes, when I'm on STO, it does get busy in the hubs, especially around special events. That alone is comforting! I can remember the days when there would be ten or more instances. Nowadays, I only see between 1 to 4 instances. The point is that it's not dead yet. I think MMOs will always be here. Some will come, and some will go, but certain tropes will always be around.