Filed under: Features, Mac, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, E3, MMO

Massively multiplayer online games, known by a series of acronyms beginning with MMO, are a rising trend among developers. With monthly fees meaning regular income, and a player base too addicted to stop, developers trip over themselves to enter this lucrative market.We can guarantee we'll be seeing a lot of MMOs at E3, so that's why we're bringing you this comprehensive overview of every MMO we currently know to be in development -- excluding expansions of existing MMOs. Here's a quick summary of the trends that we see emerging from this list:

East meets West.  Ten out of the thirty-five games listed are Korean MMOs hoping to make it in America and Europe, with several companies banking on the success of such a translation.
Elves and Orcs. Despite a number of fantasy-themed MMOs, there are several under development that have no sign of the fantastic about them -- instead, we see themes from sci-fi to pirates.
Microtransactions. Pay for currency, don't pay for the game -- this increasingly common strategy allows gamers to try games for free. Those who become heavy players end up pouring in more cash than they would have paid for an all-you-can-play monthly subscription.
Casual MMOs. Three of the titles listed below are trying to break into the casual space, with appealing cutesy graphics and Flash-based play. Most casual titles aren't persistent, though games like Runescape have done well out of the browser-based market so far.
New developers.  Fifteen of the studios below are working on their first MMO, or their first game altogether. This could mean increased innovation, or more problems -- MMOs are risky business.

Continue reading Pre-E3: MMO roundup [update 6]

Pre-E3: MMO roundup [update 6] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 May 2006 08:55:00 EST.

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