Blizzard's next MMO: My Prediction/Fear

[Pick]

Ever since Blizzard announced that their next project is a MMO that doesn't involve their existing franchises, I have been speculating about what their plans could be. I have come to a rather depressing/boring prediction.

My guess is based on the following: Blizzard never really does anything completely new or innovative. They usually take an existing concept and perfect it. What would be an existing concept that if done very well would be the biggest cash cow ever?

"THE SIMS" MMO DONE WITH BLIZZARD QUALITY.

Blizzard already owns the souls of all PC gamers, but this would be a main stream title that would draw in the non-gamer. All the people who love the Sims/Twitter/Facebook community stuff would be drawn into this new social world with a Blizzard-level of quality and polish. Imagine all the non-gamers making their avatars and getting jobs and building homes and neighborhoods in a Blizzard virtual world.

Would this be boring by most hardcore gamer standards? Yes.
Would it sell a ba-zillion copies just like that terrible Sims series? Yes.

So... why am I posting this? Two reasons.

1. I love being right and want to link to this post years from now when they finally announce the game.

2. I want you all to tell me I am wrong and it will be another great Blizzard title for hardcore gamers like us.

Could the next big MMO project from Blizzard be a Sims-style virtual world to attract non-gamers?

[sandwich_bird]

Ever since Blizzard announced that their next project is a MMO that doesn't involve their existing franchises, I have been speculating about what their plans could be. I have come to a rather depressing/boring prediction.

My guess is based on the following: Blizzard never really does anything completely new or innovative. They usually take an existing concept and perfect it. What would be an existing concept that if done very well would be the biggest cash cow ever?

"THE SIMS" MMO DONE WITH BLIZZARD QUALITY.

Blizzard already owns the souls of all PC gamers, but this would be a main stream title that would draw in the non-gamer. All the people who love the Sims/Twitter/Facebook community stuff would be drawn into this new social world with a Blizzard-level of quality and polish. Imagine all the non-gamers making their avatars and getting jobs and building homes and neighborhoods in a Blizzard virtual world.

Would this be boring by most hardcore gamer standards? Yes.
Would it sell a ba-zillion copies just like that terrible Sims series? Yes.

So... why am I posting this? Two reasons.

1. I love being right and want to link to this post years from now when they finally announce the game.

2. I want you all to tell me I am wrong and it will be another great Blizzard title for hardcore gamers like us.

Could the next big MMO project from Blizzard be a Sims-style virtual world to attract non-gamers?

No

way

It's not Blizz style to do such a game. Sure the profit would be there but no, I just can't see it happening. Imo the next mmo will be something along the lines of fallout 3/borderlands but mmo style.

[Eligor]

Last time yon mysterious project was brought up, the general speculation was that it is likely to be a steampunk MMO (as Mike Morhaime mentioned Blizzard wanting to do a steampunk game for quite some time), and possibly more action oriented than WoW.

Personally, I doubt it'll be anything even remotely resembling the Sims, too much effort (been in development for at least two years now) and secrecy put into it for it to be just a fancy social network.

[newcomplex]

meh.

I wouldn't go so far as to say blizzard never does anything original. Believe it or not, warcraft 1 pioneered the RTS industry with "EZ economy", in comparison to other RTS of their time, which has supercomplex economic systems, or none at all. Diablo basically invented modern point and click action rpg. I guess you could say wow was the first MMO designed to cater to casuals.

At any rate, blizzard won't do a sims MMO. Blizzard has made like 12 original games, and every one of them takes place in a sci-fi or fantasy universe. I don't see a MMO being their starting point for a sims game. They'd be wasting all their art assets from excellent artists like samwise etc. Almost all their game designers have worked exclusively traditional game level design, a sim/casual style game would require an entirely different design perspective.

[ArcherofAiur]

You are wrong and it will be another great Blizzard title for hardcore gamers like us.

[Pandonetho]

A+ topic, gave me a good laugh.

[DemolitionSquid]

You are wrong and it will be another great Blizzard title for hardcore gamers like us.

WoW is not for hardcore gamers. WoW is for hardcore morons.

MMO will be Steampunk or WoW 2.

[Eligor]

Or maybe Blizzard is working on a real life equivalent of Project Otherland*. :D


*There is apparently, by the way, an Otherland MMO in the works, tho' I don't know too much about that (in fact, am yet to read the last two books in the series).

[screw_ball69]

Perhaps the return of Ghost in the form of a MMO?

[Pandonetho]

Perhaps the return of Ghost in the form of a MMO?

They already said they're not going to be doing it on any of their existing Franchises.

[screw_ball69]

I apparently missed that...hmm, a original IP from Blizzard...it will never see the light of day.

[sandwich_bird]

I apparently missed that...hmm, a original IP from Blizzard...it will never see the light of day. They are gonna do it for sure. It's too much of a good opportunity to just give up on it with the success of WoW.

[Spartan]

I hope it's some form of a shooter. Not necessarily a FPS, but maybe a TPS.

[n00bonicPlague]

I wonder what a Second Person Shooter would be like......

[sandwich_bird]

I wonder what a Second Person Shooter would be like......I thought this was like the first resident evil?

[Sheliek]

I thought this was like the first resident evil?

Second person is like a character directly addressing the audience. In a book it would be the narrator saying 'you', at the reader.

StarCraft I was basically this, though not a shooter.

[KillaKhan]

Guys its an MMO. A shooter mmo would be hard to balance, and Blizzard is just a bunch of balancing freaks. They should start a circus.

Anyways, Im hoping its an MMO kind of like Neverwinter nights. I don't like WoW. Its lame. But Neverwinter Nights just has the feeling that makes me love it. lol. I hate cooldowns for spells and stuff. Go Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Nights style.

[pure.Wasted]

Second person is like a character directly addressing the audience. In a book it would be the narrator saying 'you', at the reader.

Second-person FPS!

You control the masses of monsters that attempt to swarm the lone gun-toting computer-controlled enemy!



You guys are making me so excited by saying there's reason to suspect this MMO is steampunk, it's unhealthy. I've been dreaming of a steampunk MMOFPS for years now.

This would rock my world.

[Gifted]

I have always had 2 predictions:

Where World of Warcraft was "turned into" pvp but wasn't built for it from scratch... I bet they'll do a sort of "life action" MMO, where people's skill also contributes. pvp being the core value

The other thought I has was a persistent world MMORTS. Just a thought.

[The_Blade]

The other thought I has was a persistent world MMORTS. Just a thought.

Agreed, this is a growing game group and it might grow more in the future.