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The latest patch 5.4 newsLucasArts: Star Wars MMO will be bigger than WoW
by Mike Schramm 
Oct 27th 2008 at 4:00PM
You may have missed this story last week (we wouldn't blame you if you were busy fighting off the living dead), but there was a big announcement in the world of MMO games. BioWare, makers of Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate, and last year's terrific Mass Effect, announced in conjunction with EA and LucasArts that they were going to make their first MMO, set in the same universe as their critically acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game. Massively's got tons of news about it if you're interested (and even though we won't see it for years and years, I definitely am).But LucasArts didn't stop there -- years before the game is even scheduled to come out, they're ready to say the game will be bigger than WoW. Now, we get it -- WoW's the 800 lb. gorilla of MMOs, and thus they make the biggest target you'll find. But please, can we see some actual gameplay before the hype machine gets rolling?
If they don't actually release the game until WoW's servers are turned off, then sure, they'll be bigger than WoW, and hey, maybe if BioWare is able to make their game casual and accessible enough (we're looking at you, Mass Effect inventory system), they'll be able to come close to WoW's current peak of almost 11 million players. But LucasArts, let's get the game working before we start bragging about how big it's going to be.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Humor
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 7)
kabshiel Oct 27th 2008 4:30PM
I think it probably will be years. Which actually makes their prediction a lot more credible.
zlickrick Oct 27th 2008 4:09PM
Yeah, just as "big" as the last 3 Star Wars movies...
Dunwich Oct 27th 2008 4:13PM
Which, whilst not that good, made what is technically called a "shitload of money".
Personally? I'll be giving it a whirl. But I do hope they restrict Force-users. And have translation droids.
darian Oct 27th 2008 4:19PM
The difference is that when you go to see a "meh"* movie your money is already spent and it's not worth the breath trying to argue with the establishment that they should pay you back.
If an MMO is "meh", people will play out their first free month and then ditch it.
*meh is my term for the suck.
Heilig Oct 27th 2008 4:49PM
You're not using the correct term. It is more properly a metric assload of money. Seeing as how a shitload is a variable unit, but a metric assload is not, we should use the more clearly defined term.
Auto Oct 27th 2008 4:11PM
Thats a bold claim. One others have made and havent come close.
Time will tell.......
Nick S Oct 27th 2008 4:33PM
Every time someone says something like this, I briefly pray they're right. An MMO that's better than WoW? Yes, please!
Sadly, it's a claim that requires so much more than most companies are able to deliver. I'll keep my hopes firmly in check on this one, just like I did on Hellgate: London, Age of Conan, and Warhammer.
Lukeyo Oct 27th 2008 4:10PM
Bioware has an excellent track record. I love WoW just as much as the next guy, but my expectations for this game are the same as theirs.
versai Oct 27th 2008 4:18PM
i distinctly remember the same thing being said by WAR's devs or was that the community and look how that turned out. as has already been said gameplay or gtfo.
xin Oct 27th 2008 4:12PM
it's going to be a different crowd playing star wars... i can't get into scifi MMOs they just seems boring
zumacrume Oct 27th 2008 4:16PM
The floating debris of a blown up planet, space ship instance and raid zones, spaceship crash landing on azaroth, etherals, gyro balanced khorium destroyer...those weren't sci-fi enough for you?
~Zumacrume
oldwisemonk Oct 27th 2008 5:43PM
Technology rules. That's why engineering has cool toys.
I think it's safe to say motorcycles won't be rare sights.
Horizons Oct 27th 2008 4:12PM
Ever played a starwars game which was as good as it was hyped up to be?
...Me either.
oldwisemonk Oct 27th 2008 4:20PM
Lego!
But ... that would mean the entire MMO would have to be a Lego one. Fun if every wall/structure/machine/etc could be knocked down and rebuilt.
Beldoro Oct 27th 2008 4:23PM
Force Unleashed. Not perfect, but the first level as Vader throwing wookies around was epic.
Yeng Oct 27th 2008 4:37PM
Oooh, a lego MMO, that might have some possibilities.
Moilia Oct 27th 2008 4:38PM
Tie Fighter
Shadowhaxor Oct 27th 2008 5:15PM
Yes! TIE FIGHTER and X-WING!
Impulse Oct 27th 2008 6:00PM
TIE Fighter, X-Wing, and more relevant here, Knights of the Old Republic.
DrThePunisher Oct 27th 2008 4:13PM
Heh. Way to call out the Mass Effect inventory system. One of the worst systems out there.