Back in my “autopsy” of The Matrix Online, I mentioned that the game’s poor reception had a lot to do with timing: the game being released in a time where the third movie had come out and did its part trashing public interest in the franchise. Adding to that, the game was never advertised on a major scale, and many of you may have never heard of it. Of course, the Matrix Online was online for four years which many would bill as a pretty successful run.
“If you’ve never heard of the Matrix Online, that wouldn’t be surprising. The game had very little advertising going for it, leading to the low sales that eventually brought the game down to cancellation four years later. The poor reception of the following two Matrix movies did little to ignite enthusiasm for the game, and eventually the number of players leaving outweighed the number of players entering.”
I’ve seen a few MMOs announced this year that have me worried about timing and its effect on the longevity of these titles. Earlier this year, The Mummy Online was announced by Bigpoint for release this winter, and I noted that the game’s possible only saving grace was that it will be free to play with a cash shop, as well as powered by the UNITY engine, making it browser based. There isn’t much research into the Mummy video game franchise, although the movies have done pretty well (not by critic’s standards, but the latest iteration sold over two million dvds).
Hi-Rez Studios, makers of Global Agenda, announced that they not only own the rights to the Tribes series, but they have an MMO in the works for the jetpack-induced shooter, and the only thought running through my mind at the time was: disgruntled fans. If there is any fan-rage to match that of Star Wars versus the New Game Enhancements on Galaxies, it is Tribes vs Tribes: Vengeance. In fact, asking a Tribes fan what they thought of Vengeance is likely to put you at just as much danger as asking a Star Wars nerd his favorite line from Jar Jar Binks.
The Mummy Online will only be a two year dead franchise by the time The Mummy Online launches this winter, assuming it hits its release date. Tribes won’t be going into alpha until 2011, likely for a release in 2012, by which time the IP will be eight years dead (Tribes: Vengeance was 2004). Couple the last title’s performance with a franchise thought dead, and you have a recipe for a blasé launch.
Then again, hopefully I’m wrong. The quality of the game isn’t what I’m worried about, the naturally warm embrace of the MMO community *ahem* is what scares me, especially with what I said a few weeks ago about how one project tanking can financially destabilize the entire company. How about a new non-MMO Tribes game to test the waters? The initial cost is much lower, and it’ll be a nice gauge of the market.
MMO Fallout 