A new BioWare MMO... Mass Effect Online?

[Skiritai]

Sorry if this has been discussed.
Found this article via TORwars, how F2P saved TOR:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03...p-saved-swtor/

Anyway, what I found interesting was the last part:

SWTOR now has plans extending into the future including more expansion packs, like Rise of the Hutt Cartel and beyond. The plan is to introduce items into the game that do not exist in current MMOs. And thanks to the current success of TOR, BioWare is now the studio that will lead the charge for EA MMORPGs in the future, ones that aren't just Star Wars but other IPs as well. But most importantly, Ohlen told us, the morale of the BioWare community and studio has soared, and he hopes to tell us a different story for next year.

So, the games BW is currently working are (afaik) Dragon Age 3, that strategy game (can't come up with the name right now), a new Sci-Fi IP (unannounced).
And Mass Effect 4.

Dragon Age 3 has been announced and never did they say anything about it being an MMO.
The strategy game, well, unless it's a MOBA I don't think it'll fit within the MMO genre.
We don't know anything about the new IP.
Mass Effect 4; given the succes of the multiplayer in ME3, and the same studio that created the MP is now fully in charge of ME4, I guess this could well be an MMO.

I'm probably looking way too far into it, but what do you guys think? The guy that did the presentation, James Ohlen, is known for making slip-ups, saying things he probably shouldn't have. Which might be why we haven't seen anything from him since TOR's launch (EA keeping him on the sidelines, maybe).



Personally I don't really see a ME MMO working unless they greatly increase the size of the levels, and adjust the gameplay for it accordingly.
If the important races are all playable and have their own 'origin' story (ala DA1) before going on to the main (shared) story, as how they've done Makeb in TOR, I'm all for it.

[Pony Soldier]

I sure as hell hope not. I'm getting so tired of games turning into MMOs. Whenever Bioware makes any new Mass Effect game I just want it to be a third person game like the trilogy.

[flarecde]

Unless they're pulling someone in to do some serious innovation in the MMO realm, I think Bioware should stick to making single player games. SWTOR would have made an awesome single player game (or three).

[Nerraw]

I'm fine with multiplayer elements in ME games, especially considering how ME3 MP turned out. But a full-blown MMO? No thanks.

[Notos]

I'd prefer ME4 as a quality single player game. Too many MMOs out right now, hard to keep up with all that.

[Skiritai]

Yeah, I'm not saying this will be an MMO and I agree it should remain SP with an MP game attached (unless it's done REALLY well...), but based on what Ohlen said, what do you guys think this game will be?

In this article they said that we'll be able to explore the new ME in a new, special and fresh way. Also a supposed insider they quoted mentioned it'll be a FPS (which makes sense I guess considering they're using the frostbite 3 engine, of which I don't know if it'll be capable of doing much else than FPS).

[Deleted]

Err... Well, I wouldn't play it. It has EA all over it. As much as I love Mass Effect, EA turning it into a cash cow will only sadden me.

Thats if, what we're assuming is true.

[Baracuda]

MMOs must have an extremely big story behind them... and not even that is a guarantee that it's good, oh KotOR 3

[Florena]

I'm torn. If done RIGHT a ME MMO would be great. The universe has rich races and lore. And they did say that we shouldn't think of the new ME game as "Mass Effect 4," saying that we shouldn't assume it continues the story in a linear fashion.

[unholytestament]

And thanks to the current success of TOR

April fools!

...

Wait, they're not joking. Well isn't that depressing?

[flarecde]

April fools!

...

Wait, they're not joking. Well isn't that depressing?

I thought it was hilarious. Joke's on them though.

[Skiritai]

I'm torn. If done RIGHT a ME MMO would be great. The universe has rich races and lore. And they did say that we shouldn't think of the new ME game as "Mass Effect 4," saying that we shouldn't assume it continues the story in a linear fashion.

Yeah, exactly. They also said the game doesn't have to come after, or before. Instead of trying to top the original trilogy, a game in which different races are playable DURING the original trilogy, telling different stories from other perspectives could be where they're going next.

I'm going to be really dissapointed though if it turns out to be a FPS set in the first contact war, like the "BW insider" said in the gamefront article I posted in my second post here. Also I doubt they can make the story more epic than Shepard's, a prequel during the first contact war (which was a really short conflict iirc) just sounds really boring. But who knows.


@unholytestament and flarecde

Well, assuming they're not lying and subscriptions are indeed rising and they're making a lot of money from the cartel market, I don't see what's so wrong with that statement. This is from the GDC and not a big announcement meant for the public or anything.

[unholytestament]

@unholytestament and flarecde

Well, assuming they're not lying and subscriptions are indeed rising and they're making a lot of money from the cartel market, I don't see what's so wrong with that statement. This is from the GDC and not a big announcement meant for the public or anything.

Yes, the statement is factually accurate. That doesn't change the fact that its f2p model was insulting and almost every step forward they make in improving it is accompanied by a few steps back and/or baffling logic from the powers that be.

[philefluxx]

Im not sure F2P has saved SWToR at all to be honest. Sure there are a lot more people around on the handful of servers than 4 months post launch. But If this xpac doesnt bring in some serious content I doubt even the die hards are going to stick around.

[-aiko-]

"EA MMORPGs". Is that a new way of saying "rushed, incomplete and shitty MMORPGs"?
As much as I hate to join the EA hate bandwagon, there are some things that deserve the hate they receive. I would not feel comfortable putting any money into another MMORPG with EA pulling the strings.

[Solzan Nemesis]

We shell see. Also given today's data....huh

[-aiko-]

April fools!

...

Wait, they're not joking. Well isn't that depressing?

It being a serious statement is rather concerning. We know that SWTOR was not critically successful. So if they are saying that SWTOR is financially successful right now, then logic would tell me that they like their f2p model. That is a bad, terrible, awful thing.

[Deleted]

no bioware games for me anymore

[Duravian]

They barely missed a head on collision with swtor... I think BW is a bit shaken still. We don't need anymore mmos anyway.. they've been beaten to death lately.

[mvaliz]

When I heard of the ending to Mass Effect 3 - I immediately said "MMORPG". I mean ((spoilers incoming!!!)) they basically black out the entire universe. Tell me that's NOT totally a set up to explain why you may not know of a certain planet or race doing something or having any presence in the story and then BLAM we get an "expansion" for that planet and what they've been up to since.

Not to mention it also serves as the proverbial hand-wave "reset" for another ME trilogy.