Every year, Justin and I write all of our End-of-Year Eleven posts, and every year one of those is for the healthiest games going into the next year. This past year, it was Justin’s turn. We realize these things are basically evergreen and provide a useful reference point, but today I want to do something a little bit different by looking at our list of games that get that healthy seal of approval and asking this: Could some of these games use a sequel?
Now, before we begin, I want to put out a few caveats. First and foremost, when I say “sequel,” I am talking about a new game being built by the same basic studio, not necessarily another game being built using the same IP or whatever. I’m also not talking about a graphical upgrade or anything of that style. We’re talking about a game that would clearly be meant as a new title following up on the last one. So looking at that list which games could use a sequel… and which ones probably need to avoid it?
Also, yes, I know Justin made his column this year 12 entries long. I see you, Justin. I know you can count. Stop doing this to our readers who can’t, it’s not cool.
World of Warcraft
The problem-ish part of a sequel to this game is twofold (and it’s also why I did a column about not speculating about a sequel). First of all, the people who would be making a sequel are the same people who are in charge of the game now, which makes the usual cries for a sequel that will restore the game to the greatness of [INSERT PREFERRED ERA] kinda suspect. It’s going to be much like it is now. Second, a lot of what made World of Warcraft a big deal when it launched was timing, and it’s never going to be 2004 again. That being said, it’s obvious that there is an appetite. So mark this down in the “maybe someday” column, I suppose. And the “it’s easy to project the Better Version when there’s no reality to contrast against” column.
Final Fantasy XIV
I definitely would like to think that Square-Enix is making plans for the next MMORPG in the franchise, and I would definitely like to see Naoki Yoshida leading a game where he didn’t inherit a whole bunch of baggage. That having been said, there’s clearly still a fair bit of life in the game right now, so I don’t exactly blame the developers for not being in a rush… and with how the franchise works, it’s not like there are easy ways to predict what Final Fantasy XVII would look like.
Guild Wars 2
Does it matter? We’re getting one either way. And that makes sense to me. I think we can definitely keep going with this franchise.
DC Universe Online
No, what this game needs is not a sequel but to be a good game in the first place. Zing! Gottem. But even beyond the fact that the title has never been very good, I say that if we’re going to get another DC game, it’s going to be a completely different thing from the ground up rather than a trim-up from this title. Maybe if that Superman film is actually good. (Please be good.)
Albion Online
This is a bit of an odd case. I definitely think that the folks behind Albion Online could make another good game; they might even be working on one already. Do I think it deeply needs a sequel? No. Do I think they could make one? Yes. Do I think they would want to make a sequel and not just a different game? I have no idea.
Black Desert
Well, at one point we were supposed to get one, but it’s been delayed for years and is no longer an MMORPG. At this point I honestly don’t even know; it feels like the title has its own ontological inertia, but it also has a bad feeling of not really being about anything, at least to me. Some of that may very well be my disinterest in the title, but given what has unfolded in the at-one-time semi-multiplayer followup, it doesn’t seem like the will is there to make more out of this particular title. Maybe I’m wrong!
RuneScape
The weird reality of RuneScape is that it’s kind of also its own sequel, what with the old version and new version forking from the same branch and continuing along. Plus Jagex just announced a new survival sandbox in the franchise. Given the responses from players to every spiritual successor, though, I find myself wondering if a sequel or even another fork is even advisable. Like, do people want a new version of the game or do they just want more of this game? There’s never going to be another Minecraft, and maybe RuneScape is the same deal.
EverQuest
I definitely believe there is space for another title in this franchise, which is good because Daybreak has been working on one for years now. But I also don’t think that it’s an easy lift. The problem is that the OG group-centric philosophy the game was once known for does not translate to modern audiences very well, and its pace of play is fairly slow compared to modern games. The sequel kind of ran face-first into a sea change with WoW that it has been trying to cope with ever since. And the name itself doesn’t have the cachet that it once did; it’s no longer the sequel to a storied MMORPG legacy but to those old games from dad’s generation. That doesn’t mean you can’t make a sequel; it just means you first have to decide what your identity is even meant to be.
The Elder Scrolls Online
So this is ironic coming right after this title went into 2025 having torched its own content schedule, but the reality is that it’s not exactly hard to make another game in this universe. There are lots of spaces to set an MMORPG, and while I am very much of the mind that the lore in this universe is boring, it is definitely voluminous. There’s always plenty of space to explore in a sequel and times to set it. Whether or not you could design one that’s really different from what we got is another story, although I think not having Skyrim get re-released four hundred times would help give other points of reference.
EVE Online
Have you seen our big list of all CCP’s attempts at a follow-up thus far? No. Just no.
Lord of the Rings Online
I think this is kind of impossible.
That’s not to say that you could not make another MMORPG based on this IP. You could. We’re getting one, even. But I think Lord of the Rings Online is such a perfect example of itself, a triumph of what this kind of game can feel like, that any new title could not be a sequel but merely a successor. Even worse, I struggle to imagine what you could do that would more perfectly deliver on this basic concept. Oh, you want a fun game that captures both the idyllic calmness that is basically the superpower allowing the Hobbits to even try to carry the One Ring and shows the beauty of this gentle, pastoral life while also allowing for dramatic combat? That exists. It’s this game. How do you improve upon it?
I mean, you can improve upon server transfers, but that’s another story.
Designing an MMO is hard. But writing about some top level ideas for designing one? That’s… also remarkably hard. But sometimes it’s fun to do just the same. Join Eliot Lefebvre in Design Mockument as he brainstorms elevator pitches for MMO sequels, spinoffs, and the like for games that haven’t yet happened and most likely never will!
