We've all heard the hype: Massively multiplayer online games, a.k.a. MMOs � persistent virtual worlds that players can simultaneously mix, mingle and/or adventure within 24/7 alongside literally thousands of fellow users � are the next big thing.

No surprise there... Selling 100,000 copies of a standard full-price title in its initial production run, which can last mere weeks, is still big news to many game publishers. (Although, in fairness, many can expect to garner additional sales and revenue when products are re-released at budget prices, through OEM channels, via online vendors, shipped overseas or relaunched as value-minded compilations.)

On the flip side, massively-multiplayer Internet-only outings can generate just as much retail action through the release of boxed goods, while at the same time enjoying longer virtual (and overall) lifecycles. Plus � more pointedly � they can produce extended, ongoing income in the form of paid subscriptions or microtransactions at little added development and manufacturing cost. And the difference between approaches, naturally, is as vast as it is compelling from a commercial standpoint... and irresistible to explore.

Picture the situation faced by those dealing in standalone retail product.

You ship your latest award-winner for $49.99-$59.99. Following, there's perhaps just a six- to eight-week premium shelf life period in which to capitalize on this expensive, years-in-the-making title, which dozens, more likely hundreds, of peers contributed to. Maybe you succeed, maybe you fail, and the title's quickly reduced in price or pulled from retailers altogether; hopefully, at some point, you see some recurring back-catalogue revenue. Considering you've spent $10-20 million and invested heaven knows how many man-hours up-front, it's hardly a tempting or risk-averse proposition by even the greenest executive's measure.

Now envision you could sell the same title in-store just as long, yet also at full sticker price online for months to come � or give it away free via digital download, thanks to a more flexible business model. And, what's more, you'd get to see around $9.99-$14.99/month, every month, on average from users in recurring revenue in exchange for a little customer support and new content, or $3-4 in regular, bite-sized purchases of virtual items and enhancements. Suddenly, what was once a potentially lucrative, but hit-or-miss income stream becomes not only consistently predictable and profitable... the trickle becomes a raging torrent. And that's before you count the additional onrush of capital created by peripheral income-generating activities, such as the public sale and trade of virtual goods and characters.

To put things in perspective: Market leader World of WarCraft tops 8.5 million subscribers worldwide. Alone, it swells owner Vivendi's coffers to the point that the corporation could literally fund the start-up of an entirely new, fully-functional standalone game publishing subsidiary every single month.

Sounds like an incredible deal, right?

Not necessarily � infinitely more expensive, trickier to maintain, more upkeep-intensive and likelier to implode than single-player-only experiences, these cyberspace realms can cost tens of millions initially and on the back-end to build and support. And that's before you count the grief, public outrage and aggravation associated with inevitable outages and downtime.

Nor, as the failure of countless titles from The Sims Online to The Matrix Online and, most recently, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes to ignite the gaming world illustrates, is success guaranteed, whatever your firm's past track record in the industry. Note that this maxim holds true even for the most pedigreed and well-funded of intellectual properties: Anyone remember Asheron's Call 2 (the now-defunct sequel to a much older forerunner which is actually still profitably running) or Need for Speed spin-off Motor City Online?

Bearing this in mind, before rushing out and attempting to capitalize on one of the hottest trends since in-game advertising, take a second to stop and consider the following hints, tips and advice. Certainly, the analysts at DFC Intelligence predict big things for the sector, saying it will be worth over $13 billion by 2012. But as we at Embassy Multimedia Consultants counsel clients both new to and familiar with this rapidly-growing market, it always pays to know the rules before getting in the game...

Defy Expectation � "Most MMOs follow the narrow framework defined early in the market's history by Ultima Online and EverQuest," explains Richard "Lord British" Garriott, creator of the Ultima franchise and NCSoft's Tabula Rasa. "There's no feeling of a dynamic world; no real sense of accomplishment beyond leveling up."

Translation: We don't need another World or WarCraft, or similarly-styled, grind-heavy sword and sorcery romp � ditto for sci-fi themed escapades as well. That market's already sewn up thanks to an immense number of current offerings from Dark Age of Camelot to Anarchy Online, The Lord of the Rings: Online, EVE Online, Gods & Heroes, Age of Conan, etc. (Notice a trend here? We call that overstaturation.) What's more, consumers tend to form long-standing bonds with specific games, heightened by these products' sense of familiarity and community. Attempting to convince them to part from their present obsession, after endless months of character-building and relationship-forming, just to try a largely carbon-copy alternative isn't the easiest, or most cost-effective, task.

Instead, when developing your next blockbuster, focus on more uncommonly explored, yet just as interesting topics. Although still in the minority, publishers like Sony Online Entertainment with The Agency (spies); Netamin with Ultimate Baseball Online (sports); and Flying Lab with Pirates of the Burning Sea (we'll give you one guess) are leading the way. Bonus points if you maximize marketability by picking a topic that extends the title's appeal to non-traditional gaming demographics such as women, casual shoppers and seniors. See Nexon's Audition (dancing), Linden Labs' Second Life (human interaction), Sulake's Habbo Hotel (kickin' it with friends) or Kaneva (social networking) for inspiration, with even Sony's PlayStation Home initiative speaking to the popularity of this growing practice. In other words, making niche titles for limited audiences with tired play mechanics based on already well-exploited trends won't do wonders for your bottom line. Dare to boldly go where rivals aren't: In one fell swoop, it'll let you raise your profile, recognize greater financial upsides, improve game quality and face reduced competition.