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Are MMOs Time-Release Vaporware?

Posted by Soulskill on from the going-going-gone dept.

KKnDz0r writes "Australian technology and gaming site 'Atomic' raises an interesting question about the dangers of MMOs that go bust. Are they part of a new breed of games that render themselves completely useless and without value if the parent company goes belly-up? It certainly seems that way in some cases, with Fury and now Hellgate: London both going to software heaven, leaving a player base holding relatively useless client software." While it's certainly not an issue for the large, continuously successful MMOs, we've lately seen a huge influx of companies trying to grab a slice of the MMO pie, some of which will inevitably fail. It would be great to see a dying company at least open up the server software, but how can we give them incentive to do so?

4 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. I think... by BJH · · Score: 5, Informative

    ...I should point out that Hellgate: London was not actually an MMORPG, and it includes a single-player mode so it can indeed be played even if the servers are no longer available.

  2. Re:Incentive? by cgenman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I never understood paying for MMO software. So you pay 50 dollars, for the priviledge of paying 15 dollars a month?

    Pick one way of charging, and stick with it. Either lower the barrier to entry and only have monthly fees, or lower the abandonment rate and only have up-front fees. But don't double dip.

    *Note: I have played several MMO's at various points in my life.

    --
    The ______ Agenda
  3. Re:Incentive? by Trecares · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The initial cost pays for the software development costs. The monthly fee pays for ongoing development and server/network expenses which can be considerable. That's why it's there. Some software have low enough costs that it can be sold for a low price or even for free, with the catch being the monthly fee. Others will usually heavily discount the initial purchase cost after a while when they've recouped most or all of the cost. Companies do it all different ways. Some (Anarchy Online) even dont charge monthly fees to get people into the door, but if you want the perks of the expansions, you gotta ante up.

    It's a sensible thing, and frankly, the monthly fee is much cheaper than anything else you could do to entertain oneself for a whole month.

    Trecares

  4. not vaporware, it's abandonware by scotsghost · · Score: 5, Informative

    And you people claim to be geeks. Here's the crux: Vaporware gets announced, but never released. Abandonware gets released and then abandoned.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware