   Which MMO format/theme's can generate revenue?
  I would like to invest some time creating an MMO. But I want some return for my work. Not necessarily a lot of profit but a steady flow of cash.Is in fact fantasy RPG the best investment? This seems to be the genre with more fans.It seems that empire building turn based MMO's like travian are also commercial. What other formats can generate revenue?I would like to avoid niche markets.Thanks   
  Regardless of what it may seem like; it's not all about the genre.It's really about the quality.Take a chance and invest in pioneering something that shakes people up; chances are, if you really put your sweat into it, it can bring you back a valued return.If no one thinks it's wrong...then you probably aren't doing it right. ;)   ;Quote:Regardless of what it may seem like; it's not all about the genre.It's really about the quality.It's not about quality either. Look at Tabula Rasa - quality game with a huge budget and a big developer team.Unless your name is Blizzard and your game is World of Warcraft, chances that you get enough revenue to stay alive (or even get rich) are rather small.   ;  Yeah for a small time developer it's probably wise to target a niche market, then at least have some gerentees.  If you try to compete with the big guys, why would a player play your game when they can get the same if not better bang for their buck playing WOW?   ;Quote:Original post by AwokenYeah for a small time developer it's probably wise to target a niche market, then at least have some gerentees.  If you try to compete with the big guys, why would a player play your game when they can get the same if not better bang for their buck playing WOW?Because if they were the first playing my RPG they would be higher in the game hierarchy than they are at WOW? Not sure. I would think players like to be the strongest around, and get a kick killing weaker players.   ;  From my observation its more about accessibility first, addictiveness second, quality last. There have been many MMOs which have put quality first and have failed, because they push the machine specs too high or the gameplay isn't well balanced or tuned. Those MMOs which have gone on to become stellar success have as their first trait is accessibility ( accessibility from the standpoint of machine specs, player ui, overall presentation and usability targeting the most people they can ). Then their is the gameplay hook, that takes an experience design team, to craft addictive and fun gameplay mechanics and write interesting stories and characters around that.Lastly the polish, the quality of the music, sound, graphics, etc.. Good Luck!-ddn   ;  I remember reading a line somewhere that goes..."Design something that you want to play; if you enjoy it then chances are so will others."I for one can't stand WoW or any of the other grind specific/level dependant MMO's and I know a lot of people playing WoW at the moment or other MMO's just waiting for something else.ddn3 is right about accessibility being a major point to focus on. You only have to look at the success of Free Realms to see it’s a big player for anyone in the "casual" bracket.Your revenue system will play a big part I think, I'm not big on Micro-credits but at the same time you can't expect Subscriptions from new players right off the bat.   ;  Honestly I think your best bet would be a game like Travian that is carebear. You would still want to incorporate PVP but the basis would be PVE instead of PVP.   ;  In my opinion, the most important quality of an MMO is community.  As long as that is there and it won't matter what the genre is.It doesn't have to be huge to bring in revenue.  A game that can bring in revenue for a long time will do better than a fancy game that peters out after a few months.   ;  A travian type of game seems good, maybe with a gangsters theme, which is also very popular.Trying to pioneer a new type of gameplay is very risky for someone who has a limited amount of resources. Even for someone with a lot of resources. Look at what happened with O2's mankind.The formulas that work are the ones already being used. On the other hand the giants leave little chance for the newcomers. Maybe with local advertising one could gain some entry into the market.