Jon Wood: There are a number of flaws in the concept of companies developing MMORPGs based on major pre-existing franchises. I can clearly see why it is done. It creates a pre-made customer base and almost guarantees a strong launch. Unfortunately, from a gamer point of view, these games are doomed to fall short. All you have to do is look at game like “Star Wars: Galaxies”, which has been on the receiving end of a never-ending barrage of criticism because the game doesn’t live up to the epic expectations of either Star Wars fans, or MMORPG fans.

What another example? How about the criticism that Turbine has received for their new game, Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach? Players have been waiting for a long time to get their hands on an MMORPG version of their favorite pen and paper game. Now that one is in production, the complaints are coming in about everything from the choice of gaming world (Eberron, which is the newest and least established of the gaming worlds from Wizards of the Coast), to the use of the 3.5 edition rule set. In short, many players are turning away from these games because they do not, and in my opinion, can not, live up to the enormous expectations put upon them by the strength of their individual franchises.

Dana Massey: MMORPGs set in large worlds with pre-existing fan bases are a dream from the perspective of investors. There is pretty much a guaranteed return on the dollars put in and let’s be honest: that is the point of any responsibly developed game.

However, setting aside the issue of money, I also believe that MMORPGs – at their root - offer players the chance to live out their day-dreams and escape to another world. Why then should developers be limited to worlds of their own creation when it is places like Middle-Earth and the Star Wars Universe that got them dreaming in the first place?

The difference players and the marketing departments of game companies need to establish is that MMORPGs provide players with the chance to join a famous world, while single-player games offer players the chance to play out the stories of the characters that inspired them.