So you’ve spent tens of millions of dollars investing in your new MMORPG. At it’s core, it’s technically sound, and is rooted in a solid gameplay mechanic. You launch, and the game never gets a foothold with consumers. After a year, your revenue targets are just wishful thinking. Do you:

A) Close shop and cut your losses, or
B) With little left to lose, you pass along to an unproven development team so they can hone their skills while keeping alive the potential of someday righting the ship

The answer, if you haven’t guessed by the title of this post, is “B”.

I get it, I get it. You shouldn’t spend more on a project than you plan on making back. So on an MMORPG, if the operating costs necessary to keep the game alive are more than what it’s taking in, and those losses mount month after month, well that’s just stupid. But if you can pare down operating costs to keep it on life support while making improvements behind the scenes to retain current players and attract new ones…now I’m making some sense.

Wishful thinking? Maybe, and I might be a bit naive to think it hasn’t been thought of before, or it’s that easy to do. But I look at my shelf and see Hellgate: London and Tabula Rasa sitting side by side, never played, and both being shut down nearly a year after they were released. But there have been several examples where MMOs headed for failure became successes. Look at EVE Online - launched in 2003, the developers purchased it back from the publisher after its first six months of production. Anarchy Online launched famously in 2001 and overcame the bugs and issues that had once rendered it unplayable; it is now free-to-play and enjoying a small yet dedicated population. Myst Online has gone through more lives than a cat – first it was a boxed retail version, then it was a GameTap exclusive, now after Cyan retained the rights to the game it’s being offered as an open-source project for the community.

Looking at these examples, could Hellgate: London or Tabula Rasa have any chance for survival? I say yes. Developers could have a trainee program, or “B” team, or even minor league team, if you will; ready to be trained on game development by using a real life project. No timelines, no revenue targets, no pressure. Their instructions: try to make this game profitable, don’t break it in the meantime, and here’s your paper-thin budget. Now get to it, and learn a thing or two along the way. This only works if the company doesn’t depend on said game for its existence, natch.

Then there is the idea of a development clearing house, where companies seek to acquire failed and soon-to-be abandoned games from publishers eager to part with their investment to recoup what little value it has left. It’s a smart idea for a new player in the game industry – create an organization whose core function is to sustain operations while funding new development for growth potential.

I feel Hellgate and TR would still benefit from either of these proposed solutions. Undoubtedly there’s more to the story than the tired “David vs. Goliath” excuse everyone seems to use when going up against the World of Warcraft juggernaut. But with their futuristic and Sci-Fi settings, these games would fetch a different audience altogether from the typical WoW player, or at least provide a welcome diversion for those who have hit their level cap or waiting for the next expansion pack from Blizzard. The downward trajectory of subscribers these games were experiencing was sure to hit a plateau that could be sustainable and profitable with a good plan. It might never eclipse the years of development costs, but it might make it sting a hell of a lot less.

Giving these games less than 18 months to succeed is a mistake. MMOs are a slow burn. Not every game is a WoW, nor should it be. What all MMOs need is a realistic goal and a proper business plan to make sure profitability is achievable. When all else fails, give the little guy a shot at making something of it. You might be surprised to see him turn it around, or at worst you’ve just fostered a potential All-Star in the gaming industry.