Originally Posted by
Fadewind
Okay...one thing wrong. GW2 and GW1 run on the exact same engine. This has caused a LOT of optimization problems for GW2.
Anywho, I agree that brand names are not a reason for CONTINUED success, but they are a reason for INITIAL success. WoW was only given the chance to be popular because of both the Warcraft brand (coming off the HUGE success of Warcraft 3) and the Blizzard brand.
I wouldn't put EQ in the same brand category of LotR, Star Wars, or even Warcraft/Blizzard. EQ was still niche as fuck. Hell, even Ultima was less niche.
Compared to other MMOs what set WoW apart was its questing system at the time. Continuous questing...comparatively. As well as being able to run on a toaster. That's what hooked people in. The content updates kept people in.
IMO FFXIV has done the same thing. The gameplay core hasn't changed. And why does it need to? At least in ARR, the biggest change to the MMO landscape was the story. We have better looking MMOs. We have ones with more raids, and better raids. We have ones with more diverse classes and interesting gameplay. But we don't have many that tell an original (well, sorta) story that can continually push out story updates regularly that can both advance a plot and maintain a status quo. I would rather more time go into story and world building than new and innovative gameplay. Because MMOs have to be repetitive. Otherwise, they won't make money to cover server costs.