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Microsoft Cancels Mythica
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RPGDot Forums > News Comments

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Kiff
Protector of the Realm
Protector of the Realm




Joined: 27 Oct 2002
Posts: 257
Location: Indiana
   

I agree with Ekim in terms that a big name had to cancle a Title. I would have rather seen it cancled do to a bismal release and community outrage. That would have sent an even stronger message to the Developers and Publishers than a game just being cancled due to lack of publisher interest. None the less I do feel bad for all those fans that were waiting on this game, I remember what it was like when the canned UO2.
Post Fri Feb 13, 2004 2:28 pm
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Arma
Mysterious Lady
Mysterious Lady




Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Posts: 1230
Location: in the middle of hell
   

Well, I agree with Ekim - less titles, more quality.
Btw, I really think that EverQuest 2, Lineage 2 and UXO will be the next big flops around it, as WoW will most probably crush everything around there - not that it is exeptional in some way (no, Blizzard are known for not making innovative games, although at some point in 1999/2000 WarCraft 3 seemed pretty innovative, but look at what came out, as well as making extremely polished and playable games for the mass market), but that's what the most players will pick up (and I mean casual players, like me that are either Blizzard fans, or just going to the MMORPG genre, or both). EverQuest 2 will flop as the target group for that release is obviously EverQuest players, and they still have EverQuest around to play, why bother with something new, same case with UXO. Lineage 2 will fail (most probably) as its primary target audience is Koreans, and they will most probably hook to WoW.
Or at least this is how I see the MMORPG market ...
Post Fri Feb 13, 2004 2:29 pm
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Gabboflabbo
Eager Tradesman
Eager Tradesman




Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 49
Location: Toronto, Canada
Sigil Games
   

In case anyone is wondering what is going to happen to Brad McQuaid's MMORPG which was being published by Microsoft:

http://www.1up.com/article2/0,4364,1526451,00.asp

quote:
When contacted for comment, Microsoft representatives explained that the company had two MMORPG projects in development -- Mythica, and an as-yet-unannounced title. Rather than support the development and eventual maintenance of two MMORPGs in an already crowded and highly competitive market, Microsoft cancelled Mythica to make room for its other game.


So it doesn't like MS is leaving the market all together.

-- Gabbo
Post Fri Feb 13, 2004 2:51 pm
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I actualy don't think less titles will result in more quality. Just the opposite in fact. More titles not only promotes competition and makes the best games survive, but also it helps people see what works and what doesn't work. Some of the best new features that are being introduced to games are ones that were stolen from other games. If you have fewer titles, then there is less competition and less incentive to improve.
Post Fri Feb 13, 2004 5:37 pm
 
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I'm with Ekim on this one. I think this is a positive thing for the MMROPG genre. At the moment it's an oversaturated market ...with lots of dross.

Now, I don't know how good Mythica was, but it's very telling that a corporation as massive as Microsoft has taken this action. Either Microsoft felt the product wasn't of sufficient quality, and spared us from a poor experience, or Microsoft just hasn't got any confidence in the marketability of the MMROPG genre as it stands right now. Let's face it ....the genre hasn't expanded as predicted and there is an increasing dissatisfaction being displayed in forums etc.

This will make the investors of other projects take notice. Is it safe to continue backing game "X" ? They will want assurances over quality etc , before committing further. Yes, this may mean a shrinking of the genre in the short run. At worst, the genre may die for a period. But what projects do make it , will likely be polished, professional and well supported.
Post Fri Feb 13, 2004 6:48 pm
 
RPGPorkster
Head Merchant
Head Merchant




Joined: 03 Sep 2003
Posts: 51
Location: Melbourne
Porkster
   

Since Microsoft's gaming sector is going through a management change and also becuase Mythica was being sued by DAoC.corp, I'm not amazed.

Least they didn't want a bad product on the market like failed Horizons.

.
Post Sat Feb 14, 2004 1:48 am
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Eevle
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Mythica
   

I don't think there was any fear that Mythica was going to be a poor game; it was wowing people at E3, and was going to incorporate revolutionary features such as private realms. Basically, each person or group that entered a quest zone would have an instance of that quest zone created for them alone. This would obviously prevent all the usual grief that happens in MMORPG quests, with people killing your quest spawn and all that. It would also allow these quests to be scripted, so that they could play out like single-player, or single-group RPGs. I was really looking forward to this, as it seemed very likely to be the first true "next-gen" MMORPG.

Eevle

Reality is for people who lack imagination.
Post Sat Feb 14, 2004 7:16 am
 
Arma
Mysterious Lady
Mysterious Lady




Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Posts: 1230
Location: in the middle of hell
   

I think that toom uch emphasis in all statements around the cancellation of Mythica is put on that it is(was) PC based. That makes me think that M$ has cancelled the PC version in favor of a X-BOX one, or X-Box Next one.
Post Sat Feb 14, 2004 1:11 pm
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Roqua
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 897
Location: rump
   

I really don't believe there is any next-gen mmorpgs coming out. They are all based off the same formula, and are all so detached from reality that it is immpossible to be immersed or even believe the world you are in.

Because perma-death and other touchy subjects immediatly get negitive reactions from the gaming community all the devs are scared to try anything but the same-ol' same-ol'. People hear perma death and think how it would be like in EQ, instead of a game that is build around the feature and for it. (perma death is just one example).

I don't care either way about Mythica being cancelled, all mmorpgs are the same.
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Post Sat Feb 14, 2004 4:30 pm
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Stranger In A Strange Land




Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia
   

Funny you should say that, Lady Armageddona. German site Heise Online says the same thing. Not a single source quoted as evidence, though.
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Post Sat Feb 14, 2004 9:19 pm
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Sir Markus
Counselor of the King
Counselor of the King




Joined: 11 Jan 2002
Posts: 369
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA
   

I think MMORPG's are generally poor anyway so I don't really care about this announcement. Hopefully with the failure of some of these games more money will start to go into the development of single-player CRPG's as was the case before EQ.

I do feel bad for those who have faithfully followed the communities of these failed games, however.
Post Sun Feb 15, 2004 1:22 am
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Your all forgetting one thing, this is all about Ed F. leaving MSg.Is as simple as that. The bean counters have taken over.
Post Mon Feb 16, 2004 5:22 pm
 
Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Eagle's Shadow




Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada
   

quote:
Originally posted by Anonymous
I actualy don't think less titles will result in more quality. Just the opposite in fact. More titles not only promotes competition and makes the best games survive, but also it helps people see what works and what doesn't work. Some of the best new features that are being introduced to games are ones that were stolen from other games. If you have fewer titles, then there is less competition and less incentive to improve.

Not necessarily. I agree that less titles do not automatically mean more quality. But at this point in time, the MMORPG market is still a relatively new one. I'm not saying that mmorpg's are still in their infancy, mind you. The games themselves have somewhat matured. But the market is still in a "wild west" kind of state. Everyone is running after the gold.

Now the developers have the tool to make good games, but publishers only see the possibility of getting a mountain gold from the river. So you get all these new prospectors coming in and searching for the gold itself. They don't care about the gamers, they just want a cash cow. Again, I'm talking about publishers here, by the way, not necessarily developers to whom I tend to allow more kindness towards us poor gamers.

Since the market is in its infancy, there are lots of gold diggers, and having less of them can only mean more long-term quality. In short-term, it won't mean squat, I agree. But Microsoft stepping out of the line for such a "supposedly" lucrative market is saying a whole damn lot! Especially since Mythica was among the games that received more attention. And remember that this isn't the only thing they did: they actually sold off all their assets related to Asheron's Call. Now that might have been related to other issues, but when you combine it to the Mythica Cancelation it means a lot, and many other publishers will start to appear nervous now, mark my words.

This will have one of two effects: either the publishers will put more pressure on the developers to make better games - and in turn (I hope and pray) give the developers more say into the making of their games, and their actual release. Or it will have the effect of an avalanche, and all of a sudden you'll see other publishers giving up on other titles while they still can. In the latter case you might see many other games die, or change hands. Some developers who have more backbone might go solo and do it themselves.

In either case, this equals to better games, or better chances of getting better quality games, in my humble opinion.
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Post Mon Feb 16, 2004 9:57 pm
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quote:
Originally posted by Daros
Ehm... World of Warcraft is going to crush most MMORPGs, if customers are any indication. It's at least a year away (come on... we all know Blizzard), and yet I get 2-3 people asking about it every day. I can't remember the last person who asked about -any- other MMORPG coming out.



Isn't that what people also said about SWG? That it would dominate the MMORPG market? It hardly does that now from what I've heard.
Post Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:00 pm
 


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