It’s been a pretty interesting year for the MMO genre. Just 12 months ago, things were looking incredibly positive; Star Wars: The Old Republic was reporting booming subscriber numbers, The Secret World was raising eyebrows with its original setting and engaging environments and, despite many people’s hopes to the contrary, World of Warcraft continued to boast substantial – if slightly diminished – subscriber numbers.
Fast-forward 12 months and a very different landscape lies before us. Despite three fairly diverse MMOs launching in the past year (Tera being the third), not a single one has managed to reach its first birthday still in the subscription space. While some people would have suspected this of The Secret World and Tera, the latter of which only announced its free-to-play ambitions last week, SWTOR’s failure was more shocking. If the most expensive video game ever made, reportedly costing around $200 million, failed to justify a paid subscription despite being helmed by one of the most respected developers in the industry, then surely it’s time to ask: are subscription fees still viable for MMOs?