Has WoW met its potential match?

[Icehearted]

No. Loyal subscribers have made WoW too big to topple. Even now people still chase that dragon, years and years away from when they'd started. I'd almost wager that the only real hope could be Guild Wars 2, since the only thing that will murder WoW once and for all would either have to be Blizzard itself or a free option that is at least as addicting.

WoW barely a game, FFS, and it makes hundreds of millions annually.

No, Star Wars will be seen by people as a Star Wars Flavored WoW unless it does a lot to change things other than giving context to why we should grind for hours and basically kill Jawas instead of Murlocs. If that's all it is, why leave what they know to invest themselves into something new, especially since they've already accomplished so much in WoW.

I was lucky smart enough to quit WoW just before the added achievements, but they did that just to hook people in more. One big continuous tease.

 

[brodie21]

i dunno, i would like it to, but see the most recent extra credits for my worries

 

[maturin]

Wow has more potential matches these days than a porn star.

 

[2xDouble]

Seems like y'all need to watch the Extra Credit video this week. it explains exactly why nothing is going to "kill WoW". Star Wars: The Old Republic will fill it's own niche (the one not filled by Star Wars Galaxies?), and Guild Wars 2 will change the formula enough to attract new players to the fold without alienating its original fanbase.

ANY MMO is only as good as the friends who play it with you.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

People forget something when they say something like "X is the next WoW killer". People play WoW not only because it's by far the best MMO on the market, but for other reasons as well. All of their friends play WoW, and they have put a TON of time into WoW that would feel "wasted" if they were to switch to another game. I would never stop playing WoW for the sole reason of feeling as if I'd thrown away 6 years of my life and have nothing to show for it.

The Old Republic looks good, but anyone that thinks it'll topple WoW is kidding themselves. It will bring in very respectable numbers (1-2 million subscribers) and be a great game, but no way will it even dent WoW's population.

 

[Sansha]

Like Yahtzee said, if anything's going to topple WoW from the mumorpuger throne, it'll be Star Wars.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

I want my WH40k online. That should do it.

 

[SirPumpkinLongshanks]

WoW will peter out. It has to, all things come to an end. It's quite possible WoW has already peaked. However, it has too much momentum behind it to simply be stopped, and with an expansion coming this year there's no way it'll slow down in the near future. Give it a couple more years and then I think the user base will start to drop. Not significantly, it'll be a trickle at first, but it will happen. More expansions will likely follow but Cata feels like the big hurrah; nothing that follows will be able to top it. ToR could be the game people jump to when they're done with WoW but keep in mind that Blizzard has a loyal customer base and that there will be something in the pipeline by the time WoW is running out of steam.

We also have no idea how ToR will actually play. Bioware has made big promises and they've got a high pedigree but nothing is certain until we have it in our hands. There are so many details we're lacking right now, especially concerning the end-game and how our individual stories all tie together, that making any predictions now is quite silly. If they do something truly exceptional then that combined with the Star Wars license may draw a lot of users in when WoW begins to fizzle. If it's merely good or its exceptional elements lack a wide appeal then I'd expect Blizzard to remain the king of MMORPGs for another decade to follow.

Story? Good, that's not something you see in MMOs. Space combat? Great idea Bioware, that'll have a much broader appeal than keeping us on foot 100% of the time. But what about loot? What about raiding? How will you keep your promise to eliminate grinding? How customizable will the game be? If I kill someone that another player spares, how does the impact the story at large, if it does at all? If it doesn't then in what way does it differ from your typical MMO, or from a single-player RPG?

Right now I'm seeing "good game" but not "WoW killer." Dazzle me Bioware; I know you can do it.

 

[Blights]

Extra credit explains it all, nothing can topple WoW until it dies by itself.
They have too many fans, those fans are inviting friends and so on. Also, with the Starcraft II release, I have a feeling that will bolster World of Warcraft's Userbase, using Battle.net accounts to kind of rope people in. If you already look at Diablo 2's Battle.net feature, it's plastered with WoW Ad's.

 

[silver wolf009]

SWTOR will kill WOW.

I agree good sir.

Not only because that im a Kotor fanboy and this is a Kotor MMO, but because it seems to have more of an emphisis on story which i think will really help it in the long run.

 

[Vrach]

Fingers crossed for a yes, the state WoW is in now, it would have to suck pretty hard not to at least become as successful. And sorry, no, I highly doubt Cata will fix it.

The main concern I have for TOR's success is that it's relying on it's fanbase, fantasy is much more 'approachable' (read, less geeky ) than sci-fi, particularly the Star Wars franchise.

Essentially... no. Not gonna happen. WoW is too big and too well-known to be killed off or even matched. Why would anyone play a game similar to WoW when they can just carry on in Azeroth without losing their progress?

Please, no offense, to you and anyone else citing the same old argument, play the game and talk to the people playing it (or just witness the amount of people sitting in Dalaran using it as a graphically enhanced MSN). TOR may well turn out to be a piece of shite when it hits, but WoW is certainly not banking on it's history as the majority of those who've played the game agree it's only been going downwards.

 

[awol360]

You know, I always thought that Final Fantasy 11 was awesome. I used to play it back in the day ( Midardsormer's Jodah of Bastok)
and yet it fell into obscurity. It would take a lot to quash WoW. Like the internet shutting down for a year or Skynet taking over. Something pretty awful and horrible.

 

[SirPumpkinLongshanks]

People forget something when they say something like "X is the next WoW killer". People play WoW not only because it's by far the best MMO on the market, but for other reasons as well. All of their friends play WoW, and they have put a TON of time into WoW that would feel "wasted" if they were to switch to another game. I would never stop playing WoW for the sole reason of feeling as if I'd thrown away 6 years of my life and have nothing to show for it.

The Old Republic looks good, but anyone that thinks it'll topple WoW is kidding themselves. It will bring in very respectable numbers (1-2 million subscribers) and be a great game, but no way will it even dent WoW's population.

To be honest, I don't know that I'd like it if it did. To be cynical for a moment, part of the reason the player base is so large is that a lot of dicks are allowed to run free without ever facing the ban-hammer. WoW has a terrible community and I can't help but think part of it is due to subscription list being 10 million long.

Now in regard to what you've said, if people leave in groups that'll make a big dent in WoW's player base. It would have a domino effect; no matter how much time you've invested in the game it's just not worth it when the people you know stop playing. I should know; I've taken multiple breaks for that reason. So if anything can not only make me stop playing but jump ship to another game (alongside my friends) a Star Wars MMO would be it. That's pretty anecdotal but I could see it taking a bigger chunk out of WoW's user base than some people think. It's still not WoW-killing numbers but it could be enough to take notice if Bioware does their job.

 

[CosmicCommander]

...Its more of KoToR on the PC....with ships....and PvP

At this realization a few months back... I....

Seriously... I don't care if it's an MMO... IT'S... KOTOR.

Oh, and the PC version of the original KotOR is the definitive one, not the console version. Seriously, KotOR is what the main word is here, not MMO.

 

[jp201]

I have heard way to many mmorpg games released over the years say that they will be the wow killer and in the end fail at killing it.

Guild wars?

Age of conan?

and even one before warhammer?

what happened? WoW did not fall.

KILL IS WAY TOO STRONG OF A WORD to use really especially on a tyrant of the mmo community.

SWTOR will most likely be a great game and I believe will have many followers but one game will not kill WoW and WoW will not die until blizzard decides it will die.

.
It will not be bigger then WoW but that doesn't mean it will be a failure. WoW is a freak of nature that we will most likely never see happen again.

 

[twasdfzxcv]

If anything Star wars the old republic will be the only one that has the possibility to dethrone wow, at least in the next few years. However (I might get flamed for saying this), so far swtor is still a wow clone by all indication from the trailers and game-play videos. The only thing swtor is counting on is the massive star wars fan base that can easily dwarf the wow user base.

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

...Its more of KoToR on the PC....with ships....and PvP

At this realization a few months back... I....

Seriously... I don't care if it's an MMO... IT'S... KOTOR.

Oh, and the PC version of the original KotOR is the definitive one, not the console version. Seriously, KotOR is what the main word is here, not MMO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Old_Republic

How many times do I count the word: Massively multiplayer online role-playing game


Wait a Second......"each class will support on-the-fly customization that will allow any class to fill any role within a party, eliminating the need to spam channels in search of a specific class needed to fill a role within a group, which can delay or outright stop parties from completing group quests" -Holy Freakin Jesus-

I dont know what about all the talk about NPCs and that such....it doesnt make much sense TBH

 

[Hiphophippo]

You have to realize, Blizzard has been doing RPGs for a looooooong time, and Lucas Arts is still new and rusty to the franchise. They're more used to making FPS, Flight Sims, and platformers, instead of RPGs. Though admittedly, Kyle Katarn made a pretty cool character to play as.

Will it match WoW blow for blow? Fat chance. But it will definitely be a contender for second place if it's any good.

I'm all for contenders to the throne. Competition makes everyone's product better.

That said, you seem to be a little mistaken. LucasArts isn't developing KOTOR, Bioware is. Bioware knows a little about that whole RPG thing. They're really the only reason I'm anxious to see how this game pans out. I refuse to go along with the hype machine, but history have proven to me that if anyone can make a good RPG, it's Bioware.

 

[The Stonker]

SWTOR will kill WOW.

They said the same about warhammer online....

Really WoW is going to be the kings on top of the industry until someone starts doing something new and creative.

 

[twasdfzxcv]

I have heard way to many mmorpg games released over the years say that they will be the wow killer and in the end fail at killing it.

Guild wars?

Age of conan?

and even one before warhammer?

what happened? WoW did not fall.

KILL IS WAY TOO STRONG OF A WORD to use really especially on a tyrant of the mmo community.

SWTOR will most likely be a great game and I believe will have many followers but one game will not kill WoW and WoW will not die until blizzard decides it will die.

.
It will not be bigger then WoW but that doesn't mean it will be a failure. WoW is a freak of nature that we will most likely never see happen again.

Acually guild wars is doing okay and it isn't trying to be wow killer at all. In fact guild wars is the mmo for people who hates mmo. You probably won't find another mmorpg where you hit the max level midway through main story and can solo the whole thing with npc.