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Torchlight launches today, and along with some what looks to be utter awesomeness, the game is bringing a few other things to the table. Sure, it's an action RPG, dungeon-crawler, yadda yadda yadda. We're all aware of that at this point. What it's bringing to the table is really less tangible: potential.
The developer, Runic Games, is working on a Free to Play MMO based in the Torchlight world for release in a year or so. There are three interesting aspects that tie this new single player RPG to the upcoming MMO, aside from the obvious things like the setting. First, releasing Torchlight now as a SRPG for a $20 buy in allows Runic to gather some funding from their intended audience, which will reduce their reliance on financiers and backers. What we spend on Torchlight now (and likely will spend on future paid expansions) will directly go to help fund the upcoming F2P MMO, which is very nice for the Developer and ultimately means that they will have less debt to pay down when the MMO launches and (hopefully) be better able to make a profit off the game.
Second, it introduces the players to the setting. I've said it many times before, as well as many others, but having a recognizable IP in the MMO space is huge. Sure, there are games out there that have made it without a AAA IP (Free Realms, EVE, and it's looking like Fallen Earth will too), but the vast majority of games that "make it" are established IP's. So what's a developer with an unknown IP to do to promote their upcoming MMO? Well, the best bet is to find a way to introduce potential players to the setting, and when it comes to gamers there is no better way to do that than through another game.
Finally, Torchlight will give Runic a chance to test ideas and mechanics prior to the launch of the MMO. Releasing the SRPG this far in advance of the MMO will give them the opportunity to dig into what players light about the setting and the mechanics and possibly offer up some changes along the way. Put this way, it does sound like we're paying to play an extended Alpha, but that's really unfair. Torchlight is a fully-featured release. We're not buying a bug-filled mess (at least per the reviewers), we're buying a solid title with actual gameplay to it. But Runic could also get the benefits of an Alpha testing from the players that purchase this SRPG.
I'm certainly excited to get home tonight and download my copy of Torchlight, and I'm definitely excited for what this game could mean for the MMO space. Truly, it could mean nothing, but I sincerely doubt that. I think we're witnessing the beginning of what could become another great F2P MMO, something that could really draw in the masses.
The developer, Runic Games, is working on a Free to Play MMO based in the Torchlight world for release in a year or so. There are three interesting aspects that tie this new single player RPG to the upcoming MMO, aside from the obvious things like the setting. First, releasing Torchlight now as a SRPG for a $20 buy in allows Runic to gather some funding from their intended audience, which will reduce their reliance on financiers and backers. What we spend on Torchlight now (and likely will spend on future paid expansions) will directly go to help fund the upcoming F2P MMO, which is very nice for the Developer and ultimately means that they will have less debt to pay down when the MMO launches and (hopefully) be better able to make a profit off the game.
Second, it introduces the players to the setting. I've said it many times before, as well as many others, but having a recognizable IP in the MMO space is huge. Sure, there are games out there that have made it without a AAA IP (Free Realms, EVE, and it's looking like Fallen Earth will too), but the vast majority of games that "make it" are established IP's. So what's a developer with an unknown IP to do to promote their upcoming MMO? Well, the best bet is to find a way to introduce potential players to the setting, and when it comes to gamers there is no better way to do that than through another game.
Finally, Torchlight will give Runic a chance to test ideas and mechanics prior to the launch of the MMO. Releasing the SRPG this far in advance of the MMO will give them the opportunity to dig into what players light about the setting and the mechanics and possibly offer up some changes along the way. Put this way, it does sound like we're paying to play an extended Alpha, but that's really unfair. Torchlight is a fully-featured release. We're not buying a bug-filled mess (at least per the reviewers), we're buying a solid title with actual gameplay to it. But Runic could also get the benefits of an Alpha testing from the players that purchase this SRPG.
I'm certainly excited to get home tonight and download my copy of Torchlight, and I'm definitely excited for what this game could mean for the MMO space. Truly, it could mean nothing, but I sincerely doubt that. I think we're witnessing the beginning of what could become another great F2P MMO, something that could really draw in the masses.
1 comments:
I'm not terribly interested since I love playing in a massive world. But I bet that'd be an excellent game to have on one's netbook for an airplane trip or jury duty or any other situation where you have to sit for a long time away from an internet connection.
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