The “Break it Down” Blog

In an interview with Kotaku, Blizzard’s game director Jeffrey Kaplan hopes that the new MMO that they are working on will become more successful than the current juggernaut World of Warcraft:

“I don’t believe that WoW is untouchable,” he said. “I completely believe that a game could come out and be more successful than WoW. I’m hoping that we’re working on it right now.”

So how does one try to take down a giant?  Let’s take a look at what they’re up against.

World of Warcraft:

• has well over 10 million active subscriptions
• owns over 60% of the total market share of MMO subscriptions
• sold 3.5 million copies of its first expansion “The Burning Crusade” within the first month of release
• is most likely within a few months of releasing its second expansion “Wrath of the Lich King”
• probably most importantly, has the name of Blizzard backing it

WoW.  Literally, wow.  It can and probably will be done.  It’s just a matter of time and it’s a good thing Kaplan has the last point working in his favor.  But he and other MMO developers should definitely take some of the following lessons from World of Warcraft.

One of the biggest questions that MMO developers need to be answer is, “Where are all of these players going to come from?”  Not many people are willing to shell out more than $15 a month to play more than one MMO game.  So in order to become successful a new game will probably have to try to get a major chunk from World of Warcraft’s 10 million subscribers.

How does another MMO pull them away from Warcrack?

• Release the game at an optimal time. WoW hit the market the same month that Everquest 2 hit the shelves giving the original Everquest players a choice of games they can move on to.  And most chose WoW because of the next point.
• Give a full experience to get people excited. How did WoW get such major buzz?  A lot of it came from people who ended up playing a full uncut version when Blizzard released the open beta and not some short lame demo version.  This actually leads to the next key.
• Create a nearly bug-free experience. Sounds completely obvious, but it’s amazing how many games are being released these days that rely heavily on patches to fix even the most basic game functions.  By giving a beta version to millions of gamers, there are not going to be many bugs that will slip through the cracks before launch day.  This, in addition to testing the server loads, is pretty important.  When WoW was released, there were definitely bugs to be worked out, but there was very little that hampered players from enjoying their gaming experience from day one.

Obviously, the hardest part is that MMO players are looking for a game with great gameplay and story, as well as an immersive social experience.  If a developer has that very difficult part well in hand, take some notes from the success of the Blizzard camp with a well timed release, some real uncut game experience, and a well tested product that does not hamper a new user into chucking the game disc against the wall or worse.