There is no denying that many of these games take off and are popular purely because they have a pre-existing fanbase before launch. All of the games have some pretty big faults (yes even Warcraft), and as with all gaming it is purely subjective. Yet arguably many of the fans are fans not because of the game mechanics but because of the setting.
I know that I am one of the few among my friends who truly enjoys DC Universe Online, and yes I know that in part that is because I am a DC fan. I turn a slightly blind eye to many of the faults because the good parts for me are great. I have a friend who still enjoys Warhammer Online despite that game having not really improved or progressed much since release (a usually expected facet of the MMO genre). Franchises usually draw in their fans, and that's because (usually) the one thing that franchise MMOs do well is get their setting down.
So what other franchises are out there that would make for fairly decent MMOs? Well I have a few in mind (in no order).
1. Pokemon.
Pokemon is one of the most ridiculously popular and long lasting franchises of all time. Having first became popular when I was in Primary School there are now kids who as old as I was then getting a new Pokemon game with ones I haven't even heard of yet! It is not hard to see how these games could become a MMORPG however.
All you really need to do is translate the current games into a permanently online world. They don't need to be big and flashy like World of Warcraft. Give players what they are used to (see above). Of course then you can expand on the original concept. Make every games land available. Perhaps make the home towns from each game the starting locations. Or maybe make the major/large cities the starting locations? An apartment building could become "player housing." Every single Pokemon would need to be available of course. Make all the Gyms available, player only leagues, quests, and other features could be added. It could become one of the largest and most popular MMOs of all time.
It wouldn't mean the end (or wouldn't have to) of the single player games either. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo released paid for expansions (instead of free content) every time a new game came out. For example Pokemon Italiano Rose and Pokemon Tender Twilight might come out, so naturally there would be an expansion that adds the land from those games to the MMO as well as any new Pokemon, gym badges etc. You could argue why release the single player games if they were going to make them into expansions for the MMO? Well, we don't want to upset anyone, after all, we're talking about Nintendo.
2. A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones)
I have used to book title of the series here for a a couple of reasons. First and foremost to specify that I am talking about the books not the show. Secondly because there is a (pretty bad looking) browser based MMO coming out, based on the HBO show. The thing is, as good as the show is, it is almost empty compared to the world laid out in the books. Which is why when we are talking about MMOs the books would be the best way to go.
A great example of why would be Lord of the Rings Online. Based on the book, not the films, Lord of the Rings Online becomes a full and interesting game world, with a great deal to do and see. The same would happen with A Song of Ice and Fire. There is so much of the world of Westeros that just isn't being seen in the show that could be done in a MMO that it would be impossible to list it all here.
The scale of the books and the setting lend itself to a large scale fantasy MMO in the vein of World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online, yet with that dark and adult edge, similar to Age of Conan. Knights, Squires, Rebels, Politicians, Septons, Spies, Warriors, Slavers, Merchants, Pirates, and more all could be classes with in the game. Houses could take on the role of guilds/kinships and they could compete for more power with in the world. Perhaps gaining discounts, experience boosts or maybe even PvE bonuses through this system. The scale of the books is such that there would be no shortage of lore to build from. The game could be truly massive and if executed well, one of the best MMO settings in a long while.
3. Dune.
There is nothing in this world quite like Frank Herbert's Dune. Quite possibly the largest and best conceived science fiction universe ever printed, it has one of the larger followings in literature and film (thanks to David Lynch). Unfortunately I also realise this would be a difficult one to really translate well to a game without reducing some of the stories greater meaning. It is also filled with difficult design questions. Should the game be theme park or sandbox (pun intended)? Should it be set only on Arakkis or should it feature all of the worlds from the books? These are questions that even with me wishing this world had an MMO, I am not prepared to answer.
That is because Dune is so massive, so incredible, that it would take someone far greater than me to really put down a game plan. Like A Song of Ice and Fire there are the Family Houses, which could be translated into a guild analog perhaps. One thing I am pretty sure of is I think Dune would have to be a classless game. Similar to EVE or Secret World.
The funny thing is, that Dune is such a great and special thing to so many people, that the true true fans, would even argue against it becoming a MMO or probably any game. Not because they wouldn't want to play, they would probably love to, but because it would just be so difficult to imagine it being done right. Not that it would be impossible, it would just take the right guys to do it.
Let's be honest though, I just want to be able to play as a member of the Spacing Guild don't I...
4. Stargate.
This entry will be the shortest. Stargate was such an obvious choice for an MMO that it nearly got made. Stargate Worlds was cancelled when the company making it filed for bankruptcy. I feel the only reason the game was never picked up by anyone else was simply how poorly received Stargate Universe (the latest series) was. Ironic that the beta of the game featured in the pilot episode.
The game could feature many worlds, thanks to the Stargates, and would be easily expandable at a later date too. There are several race choices, class options with enough variety that there would be probably something for everyone. Stargate is such a good franchise, it really is a shame that Stargate Worlds was never completed.
5. Harry Potter.
Harry Potter is one of the most popular fantasy franchises to come out in recent generations. Rightfully so, it is an interesting and fun universe filled with both hope and darkness. A Harry Potter MMO would have the potential to be a great sandbox-theme park hybrid game.
The game should be classless, as players learn individual spells of their choice. The more a spell is used, the more that spell 'levels up' and improves. Meaning that a player who uses Expelliarmus near constantly in battle is going to be very good at that spell, compared to a person who uses Expulso. Other skills would enter into character development as well, such as potions and herbology. Skills and spells could be grouped into "classes" in the schooling sense. Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, etc.
The theme park elements would be in the form of quests and lessons. Learning new skills and putting them to good use. Though the sandbox should extent beyond just character development, and there should be a lot of room to play around and form your own stories.
6. Doctor Who.
These last two would be the most difficult to translate, but if done right could be excellent MMO games. The first would be Doctor Who, the popular British sci-fi show.
At first thought this one should be easy. You have multiple race options which creates a nice "RvR" style pvp setting like Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online. Playable Daleks, Cybermen, Time-lords, etc. Though that just winds up raising questions. Would Humans not be playable? Are we setting the game before Nu Who killed off all the other Time-lords? Would the game be incredibly theme parked, going from area to area in a linear way? How would we handle the time travel element? These are all pretty tough questions with so many plausible answers. The big issue would be making them work all together and form a singular experience.
A couple of things I am sure of though is the game world would have the potential for constant expansion, whilst already starting off huge. There is a great potential here for a great PvP sci-fi MMO in a franchise that people appreciate already and it could be interesting to see if a game like this could work in tandem with a show that is still running that wasn't created for that purpose.
7. Discworld.
This one is the hardest to figure out. It makes sense though, the scale of Discworld is magnificent, and could easily make a great MMO setting. The thing is though, it would be unlike any other Fantasy MMO ever. There could be classes, though that one is difficult to really argue. One one side, Discworld always did parody the concept, by having Wizards, Thieves, Barbarians et all, but they were always parodies of them. One thing is for certain, this world would work best as a sandbox as long as the options were broad and massive.
See, a key element to the Discworld books, or at least most of them, is having no interest in doing jobs for anyone. To suddenly introduce hundreds of thousands of characters (players) who are running around doing jobs for everyone through quests would not be in fitting with the universe. So making it a sandbox where characters can forge their own story would be best. On the flip side of that though, a great deal of the humour could be lost. So maybe quests would be a requirement for that?
The setting is perfect though. To walk the streets of Anhk-Morpork or explore the halls of Unseen University? That would be truly awesome. It would just take a great deal of time and thought on how to execute this one properly.
So those are the seven franchises I think could make for pretty awesome MMOs, if they are done right. What do you guys think? Are there any franchises I missed that you think could be better? Is there anything about these ones you disagree with? Or maybe you think they'd make good games but for different reasons? Be sure to let me know in the comments!
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