Ultimate Baseball Online - Rise Of The MMOSG?

Cobol Junky writes "Ultimate Baseball Online, a game claiming to be the first MMOSG (massively multiplayer online sports game) has recently transitioned into free Beta status. Each player's character takes a position on the baseball field, and can improve their skills and stats by gaining experience, just like a regular MMORPG. UBO is being created by NetAmin, the creators of an scrapped MMORPG called Fallen Age." This title has been in development for a while, and a GameSpot preview reveals more, but what other genres will get tarred by the massively multiplayer brush before long?

Comments

Monthly Fees!

[Naffer]

Honestly, I hope they start charging monthly fees for this! I don't think enough games charge monthly fees! Maybe we can get people to charge monthly fees for offline games too!

Seriously, I don't see enough of a market to justify a full scale MMO game. People log on and play everquest like there's nothing better in the world, but I have a hard time beliving that the type of people willing to play sports games would be dedicated enough to play them in an MMO format (which inevitably means monthly fees)

Re:Monthly Fees!

[Goldberg's Pants]

EA are heading toward a fee based system. If what I read is true, their matchmaking service, in NHL 2k4, you only get it for 3 months, then you gotta pay.

I first read about UBO 2 years ago. It's been in beta for a while, and has been massively delayed, but I think it has great potential. There's a Japanese soccer game called Libero Grande where you can play as just one player on the field. It's a unique experience that is very rare. Being able to be just ONE player on a team... I think the idea has legs. As a baseball fan, I'm interested.

The article I read years ago said players have virtual DNA, meaning you could be a future hall of famer, or you could be a minor league reject. It's not entirely within your control, just like life. Interesting concept.

Hop off the bandwagon, sheep

[Anonymous Coward]

It's become fashionable to bash MMO's and just declare them the CB Radio of gaming, but this sounds fun and seems like a good idea. Controlling a whole team vs another guy controlling a whole team is an abstraction, this is truly a sports simulator, with team dynamics and personalities playing a huge role. Maybe the fat kids in school will get a little redemption.

Could actually work

[Mukaikubo]

Guys, they're not going after the established MMO fanbase. They're going after the sports fans who want just a little more. Entirely different target demographics.

That said, I hope someone does this with football so I could play it. I call tight end... Blocking is fun!

Snore

[Reapy]

Wow, this can now simulate how boring it is to play baseball. Maybe I'll get stuck in right field and the ball wont come in my direction the whole game. Sounds like fun, paying monthly fees to sit around like i'm playing baseball. Cmon people, if you love the game that much, go sign up for a league and play it for real? It's not like baseball is an unaccessable sport like football or hockey. Oh well, mmorpg on..

can you say....

[bigbigbison]

...Motor City Online? I predict that this will be jsut as successfull as Motor City Online. I think that, at least at this point, the relative failure of the Sims Online shows that MMO games jsut aren't for the mainstream yet.

Certainly the game makers need to keep trying and I'm glad they are. Eventually something will hit the wall and stick with teh general public. However, I just don't see this as being it.

cant someone make a P2P MMOG?

[Anonymous Coward]

with bandwidth shared like bit-torrent...?