Can A:IR and Bless Revitalize the AAA MMORPG? - Bill Murphy - MMORPG.com

SBFord · February 2018

Can A:IR and Bless Revitalize the AAA MMORPG? - Bill Murphy - MMORPG.com

It seems like a long shot, since traditionally Eastern MMORPGs are played but niche here in the states. But I think there’s good reason to believe that on the heels of successful games like Black Desert Online, Ascent: Infinite Realm and Bless Online could make publishers think twice about investing in AAA MMORPGs. Of course, this is purely me spitballing on a slow news Friday, so let’s play shall we?

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TheDarkrayne · February 2018

Cash shop will determine how successful these games are in the west, not the actual gameplay. Sad, but true.

If there's a 1% chance upgrade system that requires a cash shop item for a guaranteed success rate, it's all over. Black Desert has managed to fool a lot of people into ignoring it's P2W aspect since the game has lots of other unique features that distract people from it. A:IR and Bless don't look like they will be able to pull that off.

Xingbairong · February 2018

As long as there aren't any P2W aspects and the games aren't utter shit I can see them prosper. The truth is that there are barely any MMORPG's out there at the moment that are worthwhile and as long as the games aren't P2W they will do just fine.

I personally look forward to Bless, though I have to say near the end of the year release might be a bad idea depending on how WoW:BfA fares.

MadFrenchie · February 2018

No. Adding titles won't revitalize the genre, because the genre is still way beyond the niche it has always filled.

The genre isn't in need of revitalization. It's in need of a renewed and clarified focus on what type of experience it wants to provide customers.

Albatroes · February 2018

Honestly, looking at Bless and given that its already failed 2 times in the east, I dont think it'll last long. Riders of Icarus is already similar to it and has been out for a while now, not to mention that Bless is being self-published so that's always a wild card. A:IR probably has a good chance in today's f2p market because its by people who the general public already know thanks to Tera etc. But as was mentioned before, monetization will ultimately determine both game's success.

Samhael · February 2018

Bill, I'm not sure what you mean by Kakao not having a taint here in the States. Aren't they the guys behind BDO? If so, there's definitely a taint.

Anyways, to answer the title question: no, I don't think either game will revitalize... well, pretty much anything. That said, I'm desperate for a solid MMO to play so I hope I'm wrong. However, no eastern game I've played felt like they understood the western audience.

iladrion · February 2018

Unfortunately all of them are open-world pvp, nothing for me, i don't like ganking and pay2pawn

beebop500 · February 2018

Don't forget that Bless, at least in its original version, allowed so-called "open world PvP" anywhere, any time; there were no safe zones, meaning players talking to a quest giver or doing something else innocuous can be killed repeatedly by the "leet PvPers" who infest those games and who seek out lowbies to gank.

Why anyone would release a game like that in the West is beyond me. Gamers here are entitled and self-centered and our communities do not police themselves as they tend to do in the East, which means (IMO) that a game like that will do nothing but breed idiocy and elitism. The only revitalization of the MMO genre we'll see, is a fantasy day way off in the future where society stops being addicted to social media and selfies and increases its overall attention span to more than 140 characters at a time. Considering the swaths of terrible and/or uneducated people playing these games, is the state of them any real surprise?

APThug · February 2018

As much as I like to be optimistic, MMO's have always been niche. From the start, MMO's in general only catered towards people who wanted that kind of gameplay/ world.

Now a days, most MMO's want to branch out and grab the attentions of people who normally wouldn't be interested in MMO's in an attempt to make more money. But in reality, the market has become saturated, and people will continue to remain unchanged. Unchanged in a way where they will continue to remain unpredictable and not know what they want until its there.

Sovrath · February 2018

Sadly, I don't think either of them will revitalize the AAA MMORPG industry.

Bless, which I am looking forward to playing, will be a difficult sell unless they can pull a Final Fantasy 14 and really fix the things that people think are wrong with it such as combat, making the entire world compelling/engaging. I know a few on this site have played it and thought it great but I suspect that they are like me and like such games but that the larger masses just aren't going to bite.

A:IR to me seems like a mess. On paper it is ok but then you look at this "so called" steam punk game with magic and dragons and swords and guns and blimps and ... and ... EVERYTHING and it seems like it was designed by a 10 year old boy. If any game can take home the "Sharks with Friggin' laserz on their heads" award it's this one.

And single player flight combat just looks really bad.

I think it will have a large initial bit of sales as it looks REALLY EXCITING AND OMFG EVERYTHING and then people in the west will say "now what".

Mackaveli44 · February 2018

As long as game companies focus on the store more than they do the actual game and gameplay, MMO's are in a downward spiral. It's rather sad because there's been some games that have come out that could have been great had they not focused so much on the store.

IceAge · February 2018

I don't have too much faith in A:IR , but I hope Bless delivers.

Question : Who's the publisher this days for Bless in EU/NA?

Rhygarth · February 2018

I hope both games do well and i will try both but if there is 1 item in the cash shop that even remotely adds a slight advantage i will uninstall, I am done with all the p2w bullshit in mmo's and that even goes for stupid pets that loot for you...

Sovrath · February 2018

IceAge said:

I don't have too much faith in A:IR , but I hope Bless delivers.

Question : Who's the publisher this days for Bless in EU/NA?

They are self publishing.

IceAge · February 2018

Torval said:

Sovrath said:

IceAge said:

I don't have too much faith in A:IR , but I hope Bless delivers.

Question : Who's the publisher this days for Bless in EU/NA?

They are self publishing.

It was in the article too. For someone who is so picky about facts, RTFA is a good place to start.

I am sorry, who are you ?

cjmarsh · February 2018

I think they'll both see success with these moves in the currently starved market. Even if they're chock full of cash shop salt dispensers, people are so desperate for an MMO it won't even matter at first.

Wizardry · February 2018

Mackaveli44 said:

As long as game companies focus on the store more than they do the actual game and gameplay, MMO's are in a downward spiral. It's rather sad because there's been some games that have come out that could have been great had they not focused so much on the store.

This is exactly what has been happening.
We should also be careful to use the word "revitalize"because the way i have seen media and people talk about games is they THINK high volume sales auto means best gamer ever.Do i need to remind of Farmville,ok that alone should say numbers...$$$$ do not mean a single thing about the quality of a game.

So the term revitalize to me means ,let's get back to putting in your best effort as well actually love the game you are making and not just doing it as a business to make money.

Mazeneal · February 2018

I think something folks shy away from is that P2W games, AA especially that continue on, after their peak numbers more than dwindle down. The fact they are still going equals prosperity. You even see it in faction chats by the players "This game is dead Jim" yet people still play.....and the new iterations of AA for example OTW just cater more and more to the whales........when it comes down to it, until people stop spending outrageous sums of money on these cash shops....it isn't gonna change =/

truewarlord · February 2018

Not sure about AIR, I don't like MECHA theme, BUT In my opinion Bless may be very popular and successful in the West, because of three major characteristics that we don't see in a MMORPG for a long time:

- Theme Park Classic medieval fantasy.
- Trinity system.
- Not pay to Win.

So first, ofc, we need to believe that the game will not be P2W, because if it becomes P2W, all hopes are gone. But, let us pretend for a second that the game will not be pay to win (I believe it will not be because Black Squad, Neowiz FPS game, has a very fair monetization. Black Squad, is not P2W at all).

Now think with me. What is the last game with all the 3 above characteristics that you remember? A Classic theme park medieval MMORPG with trinity system and not pay to win is something that we don't see for a long time.

The trinity system is also a major plus. Dungeons and raids work better with trinity system IMO. I like BDO for example and I'm still playing it, but the lack of PvE stuff there is real, and I hope Bless can fill this gap. Games like GW2 or Blade & Soul don't work for me due to the lack of the trinity system.

cjmarsh · February 2018

Mazeneal said:

I think something folks shy away from is that P2W games, AA especially that continue on, after their peak numbers more than dwindle down. The fact they are still going equals prosperity. You even see it in faction chats by the players "This game is dead Jim" yet people still play.....and the new iterations of AA for example OTW just cater more and more to the whales........when it comes down to it, until people stop spending outrageous sums of money on these cash shops....it isn't gonna change =/

Actually the cash shop model gets a lot of traction in eastern markets, which is where the stereotype comes from. I haven't seen recent numbers but a few years ago it wasn't uncommon for some games in eastern markets to sell virtual items with four digit price tags. These aren't crowdfunding packages either, but in-game purchases. And it's not the fact that cash shops exists that upsets most western consumers either, it's the high prices for items. The F2P model is actually much more efficient than the subscription model for a lot of reasons. Cash shops are here to stay, its the content and price points that will fluctuate.

Viannel · February 2018

Am I the only one annoyed that I've never heard of A:IR before and the article assumes you know what it is or what it stands for? God I hate acronyms paired with pretentious articles.

truewarlord · February 2018

Viannel said:

Am I the only one annoyed that I've never heard of A:IR before and the article assumes you know what it is or what it stands for? God I hate acronyms paired with pretentious articles.

LOL wtf...

/facepalm...

cjmarsh · February 2018

Viannel said:

Am I the only one annoyed that I've never heard of A:IR before and the article assumes you know what it is or what it stands for? God I hate acronyms paired with pretentious articles.

I hope you're the only one because it spells it out in the second sentence of the article.

Mazeneal · February 2018

cjmarsh said:

Mazeneal said:

I think something folks shy away from is that P2W games, AA especially that continue on, after their peak numbers more than dwindle down. The fact they are still going equals prosperity. You even see it in faction chats by the players "This game is dead Jim" yet people still play.....and the new iterations of AA for example OTW just cater more and more to the whales........when it comes down to it, until people stop spending outrageous sums of money on these cash shops....it isn't gonna change =/

Actually the cash shop model gets a lot of traction in eastern markets, which is where the stereotype comes from. I haven't seen recent numbers but a few years ago it wasn't uncommon for some games in eastern markets to sell virtual items with four digit price tags. These aren't crowdfunding packages either, but in-game purchases. And it's not the fact that cash shops exists that upsets most western consumers either, it's the high prices for items. The F2P model is actually much more efficient than the subscription model for a lot of reasons. Cash shops are here to stay, its the content and price points that will fluctuate.

It isn't because of the high prices of items, it is when progression is so entwined with the cash shop, making it a pay to win game with no chance of closing the gap unless you swipe, that the majority in the west dislike. This is of course my opinion, but one that comes from enough experience that I am comfortable in stating this. I started in MUD's to EQ to VG, and just about everything to hit the market in between and beyond. The exodus's I have seen when it comes to any of these titles being P2W from their eventual corrupting of their F2P model, has been the larger reason for said exodus's. I understand the advantages of the F2P model vs sub based.

Shaigh · February 2018

A:IR looks like garbage and bless online already failed in korea and russia. For a revitilization of mmorpg genre we have to rely on kickstarter games.

Shaigh · February 2018

Torval said:

Shaigh said:

A:IR looks like garbage and bless online already failed in korea and russia. For a revitilization of mmorpg genre we have to rely on kickstarter games.

In the interest of full disclosure, you should point out they all look like kickstarted mmos with the exception of Ashes. I'm not sure how they're pulling off something that looks good so quickly while these other projects keep fuddling around for years on end with little to show.

Ashes of creation doesn't look good, they have some landscape and animation but their combat model is extremely basic, you hit mobs with damage and they die after dealing damage while those mobs barely deal any damage back.

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Can A:IR and Bless Revitalize the AAA MMORPG? - Bill Murphy - MMORPG.com

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