Examining the features that will make the next generation of MMOs better than ever.
Cross Platform Integration
The second biggest change that I foresee is more of an expansion of the first. With smart phones and consoles enjoying a peak of popularity that can only continue to grow, it’s time for developers to consider cross platform integration. In this sense, I feel this will go beyond simply releasing a game across multiple consoles. I am more referring to what is being suggested by the proposed EvE Online and Dust 514 integration. The actions of players in one impact the players in the other. Not only are you now expanding your audience to fans of different gaming genres, but you are also giving you player base a real feeling of influence. Something that they can do that has a direct impact on others. Different inputs into the same world allow the community to play the game in the way they want, further expanding the player base.
Other options can include a stronger expansion into the smart phone stage. This would include apps that are not only designed to give access to game features (ie WoW Armory), but rather ones that help to expand the game. Picture for a second a game where in order to get specific details on a story you must travel with your smart phone to a pre-determined location within your vicinity in a 7 day period. Upon arriving there, you get a transmission that allows you to further expand the story and potentially participate in a side quest. I know that a similar feature is currently being implemented as part of the game Human Element, where integration with Google maps will allows players to gather supplies when near a drug store in real life. Robert Bowling himself is quoted as saying that one of the keys to the success of the gaming industry going forward is finding new ways to connect into a single game world.
The result? In the best case, all of a sudden you have families traveling on the weekends to help their gamers, big or small, get through the next part of their quest. You can even have local guilds plan road trips. The possibility of further expanding the social aspects of the game as well as getting the gamers out into the world is a major push forward for the genre. After all, what are social features if not an attempt to get your player base to socialize. Some of the best memories we all have from our gaming experiences usually have our friends right there.
