The gaming industry is no stranger to its highs and lows. It’s a space where developers often rush to replicate the latest blockbuster, hoping to grab a slice of the pie, but most of these attempts fall flat. The most infamous example is the so-called "WoW killer": a mass frenzy to create a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that could dethrone Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. The idea was to ride the wave of WoW’s massive success and rake in millions from monthly subscriptions. Spoiler alert: it didn’t pan out as planned.
I witnessed this spectacle unfold right from the start. I kicked off my game journalism career in 2004, just a few months before WoW hit the scene. My love for the game nearly derailed my career before it even started. But I found a niche by diving into the world of MMOs—a genre too complex and demanding for many others to tackle. I attended numerous events where PR folks hyped their games as "World of Warcraft, but with a soccer theme" or "World of Warcraft, but in cars." In 2008, I joined Eurogamer to run their short-lived MMO section. We too got caught up in the MMO gold rush, only to see why it was destined for failure.
The main reason is that WoW was just unbeatable in its prime from 2004 to 2010. Attempting to beat a game that good is no small feat. Plus, trying to chase hits in the world of social online gaming isn’t exactly a solid strategy. These successful games build communities that are fiercely loyal. Their players, invested month after month, aren’t really on the lookout for the next big thing.
These communities are so absorbed in their worlds that they don’t care much for cutting-edge graphics or technical bells and whistles. The games themselves keep evolving and improving from within. Slapping a recognizable franchise label, like Star Wars, on a game doesn’t really work here. The draw of known characters and storylines doesn’t have the same pull, as players are more entangled with the communities they’ve formed.
Yet, this misstep seems to be a recurring theme for the industry when it comes to online games. Take, for instance, Concord’s flop earlier this year, yet another failed attempt to knock Overwatch off its throne. Looking back, let’s examine a few games that aspired to challenge World of Warcraft and how they fared.
The Lord of the Rings Online (2007): It’s a bit unfair to label this a copycat since the idea of a Tolkien-based Middle-earth MMO was around way before WoW was a thing. Turbine, the developer, probably thought they were creating just another niche game until publisher WB Games got overly excited about its potential. While decent, it lagged behind WoW in design. Still, it holds a player base even today.
Age of Conan (2008): Here’s a textbook case of overconfidence. Funcom from Norway aimed to integrate top-tier graphics, gore, and dynamic combat into an MMO inspired by Robert E. Howard’s world. Eidos, the publisher, bet big, hosting a lavish press event in Oslo’s Winter Olympic park, which featured medieval fanfare complete with horseback barbarians. Unfortunately, the game faltered at launch and swiftly declined in popularity.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (2008): EA’s ambitious venture looked promising on paper; armed with a Warhammer license, it shared a vibe with Warcraft. Developed by Mythic, the team behind the beloved Dark Age of Camelot, it was lavish yet design-limited, focusing too much on player-versus-player battles unlike WoW’s diverse play styles. The game was shut down by 2013.
APB: All Points Bulletin (2010): Billed as a Grand Theft Auto-like MMO with intense customization, even helmed by GTA creator David Jones, this project was too ambitious without delivering real substance. Realtime Worlds, the developer, was overextended, leading to a poor launch and its subsequent bankruptcy shortly after.
Rift (2011): It wasn’t just games that sprouted during the MMO boom; companies got hefty investments, touting advanced technologies. Rift, by Trion Worlds, had impressive server-side tech but turned out to be quite dull.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011): EA, learning from past failures, gave it another go with a famed Star Wars license and BioWare’s talents. Despite the hype, the game didn’t hold players for long and they soon moved on. However, BioWare adapted, expanded the game, and successfully relaunched it as free-to-play. It now maintains a loyal following.
Guild Wars 2 (2012): A superb game in its own right, Guild Wars 2 refined combat and introduced innovative ideas that even influenced WoW and others. Yet, despite its brilliance, it wasn’t the WoW killer it hoped to be.
WildStar (2014): A flashy attempt from NCSoft with a vibrant aesthetic and ideas reminiscent of WoW. It was a mishmash aimed at dethroning WoW without a genuine sense of purpose. Closing in 2018 signaled its end.
The Almost WoW Killer:
Final Fantasy 14 (2013): Square Enix gets the perseverance trophy. It didn’t just aim at being a WoW rival; it had legacy reasons with Final Fantasy 11’s success pre-WoW. The initial FF14 attempt flopped, but the team, led by Naoki Yoshida, rebooted it. Not chasing WoW numbers off the bat, they patiently refined it. Larger, better, it gained traction while WoW faced its own challenges. As WoW players switched over, Square Enix finally gave WoW the competition it truly deserved.
