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Gamasutra Opinion: Why Microsoft Loses MMOs
>> From gamasutra.com:
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The cancellation of Marvel Universe Online was a blow to MMO and comic fans alike. Still, now that the pain has faded somewhat, I think it's clear that MUO's death may be a good thing after all.
Given the rumors of confusion on the dev team about what the game was going to be like at a fundamental level, pulling support from the project seems like a no-brainer. That said, I think MUO's death highlights Microsoft's sordid history with Massively Multiplayer games.
If you look down the big list of canceled or never-released massively multiplayer games, Microsoft's name comes up a suspicious number of times. The closure of Asheron's Call 2 is probably the most high-profile of these. Mythica, True Fantasy Online, Vanguard, and now Marvel Universe were all dented by the Redmond giant's deft touch.
On a fundamental corporate level, I think that the company just doesn't understand the whole MMO 'thing'. The Xbox Live service is a known quantity at this point, and it's probably one of the defining elements of this generation of consoles. That said, having the patience to see something like an MMO through to completion is a very different task.
Even more than that, I think Microsoft's short-sightedness when it comes to this genre has left a huge opening for Sony and the PlayStation 3. Though there are no firm plans in the public eye right now, the tide is rising for MMO experiences on Sony's console. I think it's possible that Microsoft has ceded this fight without even firing a shot.
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Full Story: gamasutra.com
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