by in There’s been a lot of buzz around Throne and Liberty lately. And for good reason: both games are shaping up to be what we all hope MMORPGs will be in the 2023s. Throne and Liberty have everything it takes to become the leader in the next-generation MMO genre if they play their cards right. Throne and Liberty leading the MMORPG genre is something we all want and desperately need in the MMORPG universe
Lineage II, Aion, Wildstar, and Blade and Soul are all examples of MMOs where their best days are behind them.
It’s a sad truth, but even the best MMOs are dying. The genre has been around for nearly 20 years and there are still tons of people playing games that were released in the last decade or so.
These days, most people have shifted their priorities and preferences when it comes to MMORPGs. Older titles like Lineage II, Aion, and Wildstar (and Blade & Soul). These games have been around for a long time—they’ve already had their time in the sun—but they’re not as popular anymore as they once were when first released.
Lack of new content added, bad and not fun enough updates, pay-to-win strategies growing to squeeze more profit, and even outdated gameplay that contributes to the game showing its age and becoming unappealing for new players and even the return of old ones.
The MMORPG Gaming Drought
As we’re in the middle of a gaming drought, even more for MMORPG fans. It’s not shocking that our eyes are being drawn almost exclusively to new and upcoming releases. We’ve all seen this before: a game comes out with great potential and hype, but no one plays it because there’s not much to be played. The same old mechanics and features are dressed up with a new graphic and half-made lore to give you the minimum immersion and you feel that that new thing you expected it’s not new at all.
We’ve all seen this in the New World launch, the only big new MMORPG game launch in the decade, pretty much. Where all the hype brought players that never had experienced this game genre before to a relatively regular game. For me, New World is a good case of how to be marginally ok in every aspect of the game. But we want more.
Can NCSoft change it around?
NCSoft is a juggernaut in the MMORPG genre. If you’re not familiar with this term, it means that NCSoft has been around for quite some time and has established itself as one of the top companies in video game development. This company has been around since 1992, so they have a lot of experience under its belt when it comes to making games.
The problem with NCSoft right now is that they seem to be focusing on profits rather than bringing content that is relevant to their game lore and would give more things for their community to cherish. One of their latest game released based on the notorious Lineage 2 world (Lineage 2 Essence) is one good example where you clearly see their focus as a developer being driven into extreme profit generation rather than gameplay mechanics and content. Where they simplified the game to a point you don’t even need to play it anymore – it literally plays for you – and the most intricated and well-thought feature of it is the cash shop.
They got their numbers, their money, and their game design strategies. But like this, they won’t have a solid population in the west and they know it — based on interviews with the developers — and they want global success. They’ve shown us that they know how to make MMORPGs games, they are basically the forefathers of its genre and they’ve learned a bit about community aspirations and needs in the past decade. Call me positivist but I believe this is a point in favor of a good, stable, and solid game in the future.
Throne and Liberty leading the MMORPG genre is something we all want and desperately need in the MMORPG universe
The key to making the next-gen MMO leader is really not hard. It is, basically, to make it a good game. A lot of people are turned off by games that don’t have enough freedom or don’t have any unique features. And considering what’s out there, the bar is not at its peak. We are in desperate need of good games.
NCSoft is already holding the key to the big first launch of this new age of MMORPGs, and we all know that being the first at things gives you a lot of headstarts. The amount of time they will have in front of their contenders, such as Ashes of Creation and Archeage 2, can be one factor for Throne and Liberty to be the leader in this new era.
Amazon Games might be a good friend for NCSoft in the Western market
Amazon Games might be a good friend for NCSoft in the Western market. The company has already successfully launched titles such as Lost Ark and has a lot of money at its disposal, not to mention one of the cloud computing solutions that pretty much guarantee stability and security, both much needed on a game like this. It also has a large user base, which should make it easier for them to establish itself as a solid publisher for PC gamers across North America and Europe.
The future of the MMORPG is looking bright. Throne and Liberty have all the hallmarks of a next-generation MMORPG, with a great team that has just enough experience under their belts to pull off the difficult task of creating something new and exciting. If they can do what they set out to do and deliver on their promises, it will be something that everybody else in this industry should take note of. And we will be here to watch it closely!
