Donna: Do you think there is a future for niche games like SoR?

Jessica: Yes, I do. Not all games have to be jumbo-sized hits to succeed; there is plenty of room for games with less than 100,000 subscribers. The key issue, of course, is the development cost. Now that more middle-ware solutions are coming available, we’ll see more of the smaller games serving specific markets.

For that matter, using the Ryzom Ring (R2) tools we’re developing, an experienced team could build a new MMO pretty quickly, even rewriting the game systems and swapping out all the art. Being able to work on map pieces with a point-and-click interface for construction and then stitch them together is a huge timesaver.