For our next Massively Overthinking roundtable of the 2024/2025 transition era, we’re looking ahead not with predictions but with something a whole lot more fiddly and personal: hopes and fears. Consider this piece a counterpart to our predictions; that’s all stuff we think will happen, even if it’s not at all what we want. Here, we’re discussing what we’d like to see in the MMO genre if we could control it, as well as the stuff we’re most worried about. Let’s address our hopes and fears for MMOs heading into 2025.
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna.bsky.social, blog): I think my fears for the MMO industry are pretty consistent: I worry that our dry spell will become self-perpetuating. Already we’ve seen so many layoffs in the tech and games industry, including MMORPG devs, that I’m worried about brain-drain and the loss of institutional knowledge – and when and if we do see a resurgence in core MMORPGs, I’m concerned that the genre will have to start over with talent and basically reinvent a whole lot of wheels. It actually makes me feel a little sick to my stomach; it’s so many livelihoods, so many cool ideas, so many gamers, and even us as a website and archive of MMORPG history… it affects all of us.
On the flip side, I’m hoping the layoff spike is mostly over with and that existing MMORPGs can shore up their userbases. All the players are still here – just give us a reason to come home.
Carlo Lacsina (@UltraMudkipEX, YouTube, Twitch): I don’t know what there is to really fear about. I would hate Throne and Liberty’s luck going sideways though. It had such a strong start, and yet I’m already seeing run-of-the-mill content creators fearmongering over the lowering player count (which is kind of expected considering players are probably returning to their home MMO now). I guess beyond that, my biggest fear is Disney shooting down the Marvel Heroes private server.
I would love to hear any new progress on the WildStar private server. I would love to see what folks can do to resurrect the title.
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes.bsky.social, blog):Â I suppose my first hope is that the firings have stopped across the industry. I also fear that that’s not going to be the case, but I would like to know that things are finally cooling down in terms of the corporate gaming world swinging its reaper’s scythe around.
In terms of game-specific hopes, I definitely hope that the panic surrounding Elder Scrolls Online is unfounded and that this new cadence thing doesn’t herald a downward slope for stuff to do. I also hope to continue to see Broadsword put out some great updates to SWTOR, and I hope that whatever the relic weapon grind in Dawntrail looks will hit a reasonable balance between long-term goal and grind.
Lastly, I’m hoping Elite Dangerous’ colonization feature is every bit as interesting – and lucrative – as it looks to be. FDev has been winning all throughout 2024, and I would really like to see that streak continue, please and thank you.
As for fears, well, I guess there’s always the fear that all of those hopes don’t come to pass or blow up in my face, but there’s also the concern that we don’t see any major new releases through the next couple of years or so. I don’t mind the old stalwarts, but I also would like to not see our genre get stagnant either.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): My wish list is ever-growing. I think out of everything, I’d love to see a resurgence of love, appreciation, and respect for the MMORPG genre as a whole. That it’s seen not as a dirty word but a field with limitless potential and many terrific titles. While I’m catching those falling stars for more wishes, I’d love to see games like RIFT, Neverwinter, and Star Trek Online get picked up by better studios. I hope to get full reveals of many of these secretive MMO projects that are happening behind studio closed doors. I want at least two — not one, but two — surprise smash hits in the online space this year. And, why not, I want at least one amazing resurrection of a beloved MMO long since dead (ahem… WildStar?).
Sam Kash (@samkash@mastodon.social): My greatest hope is to find an MMO that I can really get sucked into again. It’s been ages since I’ve really fallen in love with a game. There’s been some offline games I’ve really enjoyed and even some MMOs that I had fun playing, but nothing has lasted very long at all. So far as a hope for the industry… hopefully we don’t see any of the games I’m actually interested in playing get shut down or cancelled before I actually get in there! I think most of them are solid bets.
My fears are mainly selfish too. I have a bad feeling that my wife is not going to be very excited playing Throne and Liberty, and that will likely tank my enthusiasm as well. Not that she has to enjoy what I do – there’s much that we play separately – but I really have my hopes set on co-op playing in T&L, and it’ll be a bummer if it doesn’t work out.
I’m also really worried about the Amazon LOTR MMORPG. There’s been such little news that I don’t really trust the studio to get it out and make it into the real world. Come on and prove me wrong!
Tyler Edwards (blog): I just want New World to be OK, man. I want it get back to a steady content cadence and fix the endgame to make it fun and rewarding for all playstyles again. I really hope we see that datamined Dunwood zone, and I want it to have awesome sprawling spooky gothic horror mansions for housing. And since we didn’t get a new weapon in 2024, I hope we get two new weapons at least in 2025, but most likely it will just be one. Hopefully pistols, though I wouldn’t be unhappy with lightning magic.
On the WoW front, I hope the housing has some actual utility or gameplay and isn’t just an elaborate trophy case like it is in games like ESO. I don’t see it happening with so many resources going to housing, but I would really love to see a new class in Midnight. Since we’re going back to Quel’thalas, it would be amazing to get a spellbreaker class. Kind of a tanky battle mage vibe, I’m thinking. It could be the second class to use warglaives, but it would throw them. Really any throwing weapon class would be welcome; it’s crazy to me that so many of WoW’s races have throwing weapons as their iconic fighting style, and there’s still no class that represents that. Given the expansion is about uniting the Elven factions, mostly I’m just looking forward to an aggressively, unrelentingly Elfy expansion. An expansion to haunt Justin’s nightmares.
Finally, I’m hoping at least one of the StarCraft 2 successors delivers something resembling a complete and enjoyable game. Given Stormgate’s dismal state and Immortal selling its soul to NFTs, ZeroSpace is probably the only realistic candidate for that. I just hope the Xol faction turns out good because the current factions aren’t really doing it for me.
Every week, join the Massively OP staff for Massively Overthinking column, a multi-writer roundtable in which we discuss the MMO industry topics du jour – and then invite you to join the fray in the comments. Overthinking it is literally the whole point. Your turn!
