2010 Predictions for MMORPGs

5 Things To Keep Your Eye On During 2010

2010 has a lot to be hopeful for, new titles, new technology, and of course expansions. Although 2009 can be considered a year of expansions, this new year will see as high as twice last year’s numbers. New titles and expansions are obvious, but here are 5 things that may surprise you this year.

5. Porting MMORPG’s to Facebook

There is no doubt that 2009 really set the stage for gaming on social sites. Not only did we see popularity for online games via social sites but we also witnessed large gaming companies such as Ubisoft try their hand at introducing facebook game applications. With the recent acquisition of Playfish by EA, and the huge profit potential of apps, you can be sure that many popular MMOs will end up in some way as a playable facebook app. Worgen

4. Record Year for Blizzard

Of course with Blizzard’s upcoming games on the horizon, the addition of Cataclysm, and the new micro transaction model they have taken on, you can be sure that profit growth is looking good for the gaming giant. While many players have opposed the pet shop, we strongly believe it will account for a significant increase in total revenue even if only 5% of the population use it.

3. Gaikai Changes Gaming

For those that don’t know what Gaikai is, it is a company that will allow gamers to play the top gaming titles from a remote server through their browser without worrying about having a good graphics card or other hardware. If you do not have the most up-to-date computer, you would be able to use Gaikai to run the game and get top performance without ever installing a game onto your computer. Not only will this change the way players access games, but you can bet that large online game publishers will adopt their own service for players further increasing the reach of the gaming industry. Will Gaikai succeed? We don’t know, but their idea will take on a life of its own.

2. Russia Emerges as a Contender for MMORPG Development

With the early success the Russian developed Allods Online, and the fact that it was developed for a reasonable $15 million (unconfirmed), Russian developers will surely see a large increase in the amount of venture capital for new projects. Those will of course make their way to the North American Market and other regions in the same way that Korean-made games get popularized Globally. While we may not actually see these titles for a few years, you can count on a significant increase in Russian-based project announcements.

1. Star Trek Online Brings in New Blood

We can’t exactly say that Star Trek Online blew us off our feet when we previewed it, but the truth is that it offers some very intriguing features and operates unlike most subscription based MMOs. Although Beta will still attract mostly veteran gamers, when Star Trek Online launches it will attract a new type of player, those that have previously preferred console games and even those that have never considered themselves gamers: Don’t forget the trekkies. Will it be the blockbuster of the year? No, but it will be the best new-gamer friendly mmo in recent years.