I will not claim to be a hero on the subject or even have much experience on the development side of games but much like most people reading this I have been on the receiving end of many failed MMO’s which everyone was looking forward to and were eventually lost to simple mistakes that could have been avoided relatively easily.
My personal checklist for Indy MMO companies:
1. Secure full funding before starting.
Work out how much you think you need, put in for staff and hardware growth as the project develops and then add another 50% on top.. then stick to it. This way when you get to year 3 and start to run low on funds you have a plan and don’t make the mistake of offering pre-purchases of an unfinished product to notoriously stingy gamers in return for buggy beta access which drags on for a year longer than planned.
2. Create a niche or fail.
If you develop a WoW clone you will fail, simple. Your game needs to be unique in at least a few aspects and these unique features need to be known from the start to hook people keen on playing your game. If your game offers nothing on top of the current stock of tank and spank, instance content debauchery filled MMO’s on the market but has a hundredth of their marketing budget or back story fanbase, what will set you aside? I’ll help you with this one.. nothing, and then you will fail.
3. Be patient
Make a plan and stick to it, but don’t make a completely ridiculous plan and offer it to investors in the form of a brief which shows them massive gains in 2 years time, you know as well as anyone that MMO’s take years and years to develop and will cost a substantial amount in any form, that’s just the way the world works. If you promise more than you can deliver you will eventually be forced to launch early with limited content or buggy gameplay and this will lead to failure, take a look at the 10 most anticipated MMO’s in the last 5 years and you will find that more than half of them failed because they launched too early due to pressure from investors and publishers, learn from this.
4. There are no friends in business
This is more of a general rule of thumb for all business, but I’ll let you into a little secret.. when the proverbial hits the fan you will be on your own. Keep your friends involved, especially if they have skills that are useful to your project, but remember that the debt is yours. Plan for the best, for success and fame.. but keep in mind that 1 in 10 games make it past the break even point and that in the end you are responsible for the outcome, good or bad.
5. Recruit stable staff
The wonders of the internet (at the moment anyway) mean that anyone can say anything without very much repercussion, this freedom is fantastic for the growth of your game but can also spell doom if its not directed properly. Your forum managers and community liaisons need to be well versed in the current state of your project and be able to keep their cool when the inevitable troll rolls through. The last thing you need is bitterness from the community due to one unruly situational comment from the devs which taints your game for months or years to come. Gamers do not forgive and they do not forget.
