Titanic like development budget.

Umbrood

A question really, or several questions.

Seeing a game like WoW take of as it has it is obvious a LOT of money can be made on these things, you think we will ever see like a 1BILLION$ budget on these things? All included, I mean spending that kind of money would probably mean youd get your cash back.

What kind of game would you expect to come out of a project like that?

Like a univers as big as EvE with each system containing a world the size of AO, the possibility to own countries with yer own friggin dungeons and castles and whatnot, totally dynamic skill/lvl system and so on, all of the above, more?

Shoot!!

Zhanghia

It's better off starting small.. and a billion is a large number, heck most games only get a budget of a few million if they're really commercialized but a MMO? dream on, there's not enough players to recoup the loss.

locvez

I`m sure that many of the newest games have budgets on par with some holywood blockbusters.

Metal Gear Solid and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had pretty huge budgets for development, not only for actually making the games themselves, but for the voice actors and music aswell.

I doubt it would ever reach billions of USD but i would guess 50-100million USD would be a good estimate...

Umbrood

I very much doubt there is any of the shelf games today that went under 5M$, and the "off the shelf cost" is quickly reching the 10M mark.

WoW, EQ2 and other AAA titles start at minimum 20M$, allthough I do not think either of the two was that cheap.

Funcom said that AO had ended at over 20M back in 2001.

Actually I do not think it is a question of if but rather when the really big titles will catch up to other entertainment in regards of both cost and general acceptance.

But none the less, even if one does not believe it will ever do this, imagine IF and add what crazy feature youd like, what would it be?

 

aaddam

I think i read somewhere that WOW had a $30 million budget.

WoW has 3million + subscribers so is taking in alot of cash a month, ok a huge part of that is costs but they still making nice cash.

If they keep that kind of subscriber level then in 3 years or so the game will have taken $1billion +.

I can see games going into the $100 million range for there budget gaming is still a growing market and has a long way to go before it properly matures, i just hope when it does we don't get the crap summer suposide blockbusters like the movie industry.

Zhanghia

I highly doubt it, most people will reach level 60 eventually and they'll be bored to tears. Bill Roper worked on dev like 35 or so percent of the WoW development (he was a major player in what made blizzard games - blizzard games) Then again.. it's meant for the casual people.. e.g AOL for those new to the internet thing, but I've long since grown out of my diapers, per say.

Enigma

Question is....what will these major MMORPG companies do with the millions....billions..of profits earned? Upgrade the game? Expansions?

That's the question

Umbrood

Line the pockets of the shareholders obviously, thats what it is all about at the end of the day, at least for the really big players. The people who run thoose have rarely anything to do with games, if they ever played one at that, they are suits.

Obviously they all need to make a profit but I wouldnt mind some artistic integrity in all that, I understand why roper and the gang left Blizzard or why the Williams couple dont want anything to do with sierra no more, or why Garriot left EA, Paul Allen Artifact, and so on and so on.

But, that was not the point of this thread..

 

 

logangregor

 If you think about it, the money these mmo companies make is in many cases rivaling the biggest box office movies. Take for instance wow. WoW has around 3 million subscribers at 50 dollars per game=150 million in sales right off the bat. Then there is the $15 per month times 3 million=45mil per month. If you think about how long the game has been out and how many people are still sunscribed, then thats an insane amount of dough. I forgot to add in the kooky WoW paraphanalia blizzard sells.

Lot of money no matter how you cut it.

Zhanghia

Well, if you have tons of money. Offer meaty expansions and give more of what they want is what I would do. Just don't make crappy offline games like EverQuest tried to do. Lords of EverQuest anyone? Maybe Champions of Norrath? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge? Say no more, say no more!! <10 points to anyone that recognizes that part>

Umbrood

WoW is extreme though, and allthough not the biggest in numbers they sure are the biggest in money. Cause the asian market looks totally different and have completely different revenue systems.

Blizzard franchised WoW in china for example, they get 55m in four years + 22% out of all revenues nine make ( nine is the comapny BTW, ninegate or ninth or whatever ), and 1m subs there aint the same as 1m subs in NA.

But say you take EQ2, wich has a solid enough engine, pwetty graphics, decent crafting and housing and whatnot, add some real bloody content, some real skills, lvl's that means something and so on. In essence take all the good parts with SWG ( community tools ) and merge them. Now make that base free A'la Anarchy online, and keep it free and only charge for expansions and whatnot and only monthly for ppl with expansions as well. Sure it would be costly up front but id bet in the long run that thing would be awesome.