When I was putting this list together, there were a number of games that cropped up as possibilities that, for whatever reasons, I decided not to include in my top ten. The next Blizzard MMO, for example is left off because there’s a good chance it won’t yet have launched. It’s tough enough to define the Top 10 Games of 2009, let alone three years from now. Many quality titles didn’t make the list, but were kept firmly in mind. They include: The Secret World, The Agency, Copernicus, Lord of the Rings Online, Global Agenda and Fallen Earth.
#10: AionIn 2012, Aion will be closing in on its third birthday, so why is it that I think it’ll be rounding out the top ten? I’m going to go out on a limb right now and say that it really could be any number of games from the crop here in 2009 that could fill this spot, but in my opinion, Aion has the best chance.
Aion is a game designed to appeal to number of different player types: PvP, RvR, PvE, RP and others. Then, you’ve got the fact that NCsoft North America needs Aion to be a success on this side of the world. This first major launch since the cancellation of the company’s previous flagship title, Tabula Rasa, has a lot riding on its shoulders and NCsoft didn’t gain a reputation as one of the premiere publishers on this side of the world by letting opportunities pass them by in a pinch.
The real reason that I put Aion on the top of the heap though is probably the fact that it has the advantage of being a rare imported game that was designed with our market in mind. So often, Western games are marred by buggy launches that take at least a few patches to work out, losing at least some players in the process. Then, after some time has gone by we see news that the same game has launched in an Eastern market or two, more polished and more completed than it was for us. With Aion, the roles are reversed and lessons can be learned on players from another market. Maybe that’s just the shot in the arm this game needs to gain the kind of popularity that will see it on the Top 10 charts in 2012.
#9: A Superhero Based Game (DC, Marvel, or Champions)
You know what. I like the view from up here on the fence, thank you very much. With three next generation titles from experienced, successful studios about to ratchet up the men-in-tights wars, there’s just a good chance that one of them is going to take off. Which one really has the winning formula though, remains to be seen.
First, you’ve got Champions Online from Cryptic Studios, the people that pioneered MMOs with tights and capes, making a name for themselves with what might very well be the singular most impressive character creation system in the history of the genre.
Next, you’ve got DC Universe. With the star power of classic heroes like Superman and Batman, the ability to play both good and evil characters and an interesting action-based combat system DC Universe could have some serious staying power.
Then there’s the Marvel-based game from the folks at Gazillion, which we know nothing about. By the time 2012 rolls around, Marvel Online (if it’s launched) could be the new kid on the block, presumably sleeker, faster and certainly newer option of the three.
#8: World of Darkness
When CCP announced that they had merged with pen and paper mainstay White Wolf back in 2006, it was a foregone conclusion that the product of the unholy union between Vikings and Vampires would be a horror based MMORPG making use of White Wolf’s World of Darkness IP.
Since the announcement, the merged company has been tight-lipped about the upcoming project, which has left MMO watchers to speculate over everything from the design decisions surrounding the game to when it might see the light of day.
Documents found back at the beginning of the year place the game’s launch in 2010, but I’m going to go out on a limb and project a date closer to mid to late 2011. CCP had devoted a good deal of its staff to EVE Online and it’s unclear how production is progressing. So, with a late 2011 launch date, the game is perfectly situated to be among the top ten games of 2012.
Still, launch date alone doesn’t guarantee any game a spot at the top, more justification is needed. In that spirit I offer the idea that the popularity of the gothic horror genre is once again on the rise. Combine that with a rich and interesting IP that already has so many gaming fans worldwide and it’s enough to get anyone’s interest going. Add to that the thought that, being an MMO made by a company that got famous on the back of an open world sandbox MMO, World of Darkness Online is a prime candidate to please the old school sandbox crowd, and you’ve got a game not only to watch, but that will certainly be on the rise in 2012.
#7: EVE Online
When I put EVE Online on my list of games with potential, I caught a lot of flack for it. How could a game that was already six years old have any potential in it? Now that I’m granting the space-based “sci-fi simulation” MMO a spot on my top ten games of 2012, I expect more of the same, but I stand by my decision.
Over its six year life span, EVE Online has been impressive in its growth, not only in subscriber numbers (it’s one of the very few MMOs to show an upward subscriber trend over time), but also in the scope of the game and what it has added over time: new tech, factional warfare, a complete and impressive graphical overhaul, wormholes, just as recent examples.
The developers of EVE have said that their original intent was, as stated above, to create a live and interactive sci-fi simulator. Ships, combat and trading were just the building blocks for a much larger concept whose next step is the long promised Walking in Stations project that will, assuming it’s been completed by 2012 (and that’s no guarantee based on how long fans have already been waiting), dramatically expand the game. By 2012, it’s even possible that the developers will have expanded into planetary exploration and / or other necessities of a full-blown sci-fi game and if they do that, they may very well have created an MMO that actually has something for everyone. Why wouldn’t it be a contender in another three years?
#6: All Points Bulletin
I know that some of you out there are going to say that we’ve been giving too much attention to the upcoming game from the folks at Realtime Worlds that promises to be the, at least, spiritual MMO successor to the phenomenally popular Grand Theft Auto franchise, but I think we’ve been spot on in seeing this game’s potential.
This time though, APB has made my list not because of the possibilities that exist in an open world GTA-esque MMORPG, though those possibilities are impressive. Instead, it’s the possibilities of medium that could see this game enjoy real success into 2012. Specifically, I’m referring to the game’s potential to launch successfully not only for the PC, but also for the Xbox 360.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The first MMO that really performs at a high level on a console will ensure its success for years to come. There’s a whole new world out there kid, and if you think MMO companies aren’t salivating looking at the numbers associated with Xbox and its XBL program the you’ve been drinking the PC Kool-Aid.
The style of game is already familiar to Xbox fans who are used to jumping into GTA multiplayer and has been designed to rely on VOIP, not keyboards. Traditional MMOs require a bit too much input to be translated effectively. Action games are much more suited to that big white controller.
#5: Star Trek Online
Like Gene Roddenberry, who came up with the whole Star Trek franchise in the first place, I have hope for the future. Right now, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding STO, which stems from the fact that no one has played it yet. While some are quick to jump on the “this is going to fail” bandwagon, I am more optimistic. I’m of the opinion that in order to fail with the Star Trek franchise, the developers behind it have to be in some way incompetent. Star Trek is so huge, with the bar being set so low by a slew of poor video game adaptations of the universe that any halfway decent Trek game should have a fighting chance.
Given that, no matter how you might feel about recent business model decisions, the team over at Cryptic Studios isn’t incompetent. Quite the opposite, in fact. While some in the MMO community might disagree with some of the baseline design decisions on the game, Star Trek fans will enjoy the opportunity to explore strange, new worlds and civilizations, interact with new and old friends and shoot down some Klingons.
If Cryptic plays their cards just right with updates and even by then a possible expansion, STO could easily be among the top ranked games of 2012.
#4: Final Fantasy XIV
When I was doing my “Top Ten Games with Potential” column, I thought that I was going to be hunted down and killed with an impossibly large sword for leaving this game off of my list. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel that the upcoming addition to the Final Fantasy saga was a game with potential, but it wasn’t as deep on my radar as it is now.
Having seen the public reaction to a recent flood of information about the game and the enthusiastic response with which it was met, hope for this game’s future is high. Enthusiastic pre-launch fans though aren’t enough to push a game up this list. After all, hype is just an indication of potential players. It’s up to the developers to make sure that the game has long term playability.
So, in choosing Final Fantasy XIV’s place on the charts in 2012, it really came down to three things: The excitement of the game’s fans as mentioned above, the franchise and the developers.
The Final Fantasy franchise speaks for itself. It’s spawned fourteen sequels and a number of movies. Over the years, it’s become one of those franchises that, whenever a new incarnation is released, people will play. Square Enix has sold well over 80 million units from its Final Fantasy franchise and let’s not forget that even six years after its initial launch, the game’s predecessor still has a strong and loyal following of fans and was, quietly, one of the most successful MMOs ever made. Why wouldn’t a new Final Fantasy be among the top ranks of 2012?
#3: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republic is this year’s golden child. Player and media expectations for this game are through the roof, so it really shouldn’t come as a direct shock to anyone that I feel like the game is going to have some serious staying power, climbing all the way to the number three spot in 2012.
If the game releases as expected in October 2010, that gives it just a trickle over a year in existence to bound its way up to the number three position. By 2012 the game will be past its wobbly-kneed beginnings and should be on a solid run with an expansion or two under its belt. Being familiar with just what Bioware is able to accomplish in its work with RPGs, I have the utmost confidence that The Old Republic will deliver the personal, story-based experience that is supposed to run through MMORPGs.
Throw in Bioware’s experience, EA’s market muscle and the ever-popular Star Wars IP, and this is a game that might just be harder to screw up than launch successfully.
#2: Guild Wars 2
Details are few and far between on what a follow up to the massively popular Guild Wars series will actually be. No launch date has been officially set for this sequel, but an educated guess puts it out in 2011 or 2012.
The original Guild Wars franchise made a name for itself by providing a product that was designed and marketed differently from their competition. They proved that the subscription wasn’t the only possible avenue for an MMORPG and in doing so gained a remarkable following.
When Guild Wars 2 launches, look for its rise to be similar to that of its predecessor as it takes the number two slot in the top games of 2012 contest.
#1: World of Warcraft
I know that there are those of you out there who were hoping for something, anything; else to top this chart and to be honest I would have liked that too. For so many years now WoW has been the king of the MMO castle and for some, especially those who are looking for a change, the idea that WoW will still be standing tall even three years down the road from here is a tough pill to swallow.
So, as justification, I’ll ask those of you out there who wanted something else the same question that I asked myself. “Is there any legitimate or realistic reason to believe that WoW won’t still be the number one MMO on the market in 2012?”
Unfortunately, answers like: It’s too grindy, it’s too easy, the graphics are getting older, it’s a hand-holding linear experience, etc. etc. etc. just don’t hold water. Obviously these factors haven’t significantly slowed the game down up until now, and there’s no reason to believe that three years are going to change much.
World of Warcraft will still be a behemoth in 2012, and it says here that it will still be the biggest and most popular game on the market. Maybe Guild Wars 2 or Star Wars will be able to surpass it, but the smart money remains on the guys at Blizzard.
Source: http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3383
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