Indulge me, MMO fans, for just a minute for a makeup analogy. If you follow makeup trends, you know that for the last year or so, terms like “strawberry makeup” and “latte makeup” have been all the rage on Tiktok and Instagram. Don’t get excited; it’s pink cheeks and brown eyeshadow, literally nothing new except that teenagers have given very basic and classic looks a cute rebrand for social media clout. And it’d be totally ignorable except that makeup brands followed suit and started marketing their products using those terms, some even making products specifically tailored to the trends.
Which just goes to show how much simple branding matters. Nobody needs another brown eyeshadow palette in 2024, but latte makeup sounds fresh and new. And this is true with every product, from clothes to music… to MMORPGs. Humans can be kinda dumb about these things. And sometimes I wonder whether rebranding some specific MMORPGs would give them a chance to shine again. Black Desert? Project Gorgon? Throne and Liberty? Wait, Throne and Liberty is already a rebrand. On second thought, maybe unbrand it back to Lineage?
Which MMO could use a rebrand? Would any MMOs actually be helped by a new name or approach?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
