With less than a day to go till the massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) Star Wars: The Old Republic is released the question on players’ minds is, “Will it deliver on the hype?” If it fails to do so it may be one of the most expensive video game flops in history. Estimates for its production cost range up to $300 million, according to a GameSpy report, though LucasArts denies it. If it exceeds players expectations it could win the most coveted title in the MMORPG world: WoW Killer.
At this point it’s not news that World of Warcraft (WoW) has been, and remains for the moment, the most popular game MMORPG game of all time. There are comprehensive lists of other such games, the most detailed of which is probably at mmorpg.com. If you look at the list and haven’t heard of most of them don’t feel badly. Most of them are niche games that will never approach WoW’s popularity.
One of the keys to WoW’s success is its detail and scope of content. Content, in this case, means everything that contributes to ongoing player enjoyment. That includes storyline, game-world history, and all those little details that flesh out the experience.
There have been contenders with vast libraries of background material to draw from that have failed to capture that depth. One example is DC Universe Online, the superhero themed MMORPG. Even though it had the entire galaxy of DC Comics canon to draw from it didn’t win much praise for content depth and failed to unseat WoW as top dog.
If any mythology has the vast source material needed to provide a rich gaming experience for MMORPG players, though, it’s George Lucas’ Star Wars universe. It’s been iconic since 1977. It’s spawned six major motion pictures, comic books, spinoff novels, video games, and God knows how much fan-made material.
The developers are going all out. A GameSpot interview with the LucasArts voice department director indicates the game script fills ten 5-inch binders. That should keep players exploring and engaging with the AI characters for quite a while.
Only time will tell if this release will finally break WoW’s hold on the top slot in the MMORPG world. Stay tuned over the coming weeks to see which product comes out on top.