Today, we start a new tradition, a set of awards to honor the best MMOs in the past year. This year, we have six categories to award. Each of the winners and runners up was a collaborative choice by the staff of WarCry.com and represent who we believe achieved the best product in each category over the last year.
Studio of the Year
Over the last year, many studios did some interesting things. For this award, we identified the studio that we felt made the most significant strides forward in 2006. Major announcements, business moves, support for existing products and potential new products were all considered.
Indie Game of the Year
For this award, we set out to identify the MMO - regardless of release date - that we felt provided the best experience for players, but is not owned by a major company or available in retail stores. We also limited it to games that were initially made in English and did not consider localized products.
Expansion of the Year
Any major add-on released during the 2006 calendar year was considered, no matter the cost (or lack thereof) or means of distribution. To win, an expansion must have had a significant positive impact on the game's players, achieved critical success and ideally grown the product.
New Game of the Year
For this category, we considered any stand-alone game launched during the 2006 calendar year. This is an overall award, given to the game we felt stood out the most.
2007's Most Anticipated
Of games projected to launch in 2007, using the studio's own estimates, we identified the title that we felt would achieve the most success (critical and commercial) and contribute most significantly to the advancement of the genre in 2007.
Game of the Year
In this category, we considered all MMOs currently on the market. To us, the game of the year represents the game that had the biggest impact upon the genre, its players and the outside world. This game did not necessarily have to launch in 2006.
Now, click below to find out who won the 2006 WarCry Editor's Choice Awards.
