What’s The Bloody Point – MMO Re-Releases
What’s the bloody point is Blaine’s bi-weekly rant article here at MMOGameCentral. Every article he takes an in-depth look at some aspects of the industry that really gets on his nerves. This week he takes a look at the recent surge of MMO game re-releases.
I cannot understand how developers can justify re-releasing a game that previously failed. Two recent games that come to mind are Darkfall Online and Legend of Edda: Vengeance. I don’t consider the original Darkfall Online to be a complete fail. The game appealed to a small niche of gamers but it did fail to deliver on many fronts, most importantly attracting typical MMO players. The game went offline a number of weeks ago but has since been approved on Steam’s Greenlight service under Darkfall: Unholy Wars. Promising an exciting array of new features, including a completely redesigned skill system and UI, could Darkfall: Unholy Wars succeed where the original failed?
Legend of Edda: Vengeance is an even more confusing specimen. The original, Legend of Edda, disappeared off the radar for a large majority of players and after asking hundreds of MMO players I know, none had ever heard of it. I was aware of the games foundations, a typical MMORPG that didn’t really include any impressive feature outside that of the typical new launch boasts. So why would you get the urge to re-release a game that hardly anyone heard of due to the lack of features?
So what gives? Wouldn’t it be more financially viable for developers to cut their losses and move on? But then again, Darkfall Online wasn’t exactly a small budget. What are your thoughts?
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