Massively Multiplayer Games at E3

Wired News has published an article on the future of Massively Multiplayer Games (MMG's) and their impact on this year's E3.

The buzz will be darker after a disappointing year for many high-profile launches. Languid sales follow the much-ballyhooed The Sims Online, a darling of last year’s show. And Sony Online and LucasArts’ highly anticipated Star Wars Galaxies was delayed. Such virtual worlds were to be the great white hope of the video game industry.

"On the E3 hype meter, last year these games were an eight or a nine,” says Mark Jacobs, president of Mythic Entertainment, whose <cite>Dark Age of Camelot</cite> was released in 2000 and has 230,000 active subscribers. "This year it’s still going to be a nine, but it’s a lot more negative."

Industry analysts and insiders agree that the mood could turn a bit more positive once attendees actually start looking at the games on display, if only because developers and publishers will be showing or discussing multiplayer games involving hot entertainment franchises.

Among the biggies, Vivendi Universal will be touting online projects surrounding <cite>Lord of the Rings</cite>, the Marvel Comics universe, and its hugely successful Warcraft franchise.

To read the full and rather interesting article, head to Wired News.