NCSoft Exec doesn't think the MMO genre is dead

As always, check out your MMO playing friends. In recent years, it's a genre that has proven repulsive to new games trying to capture a slice of the market, leaving those looking for new experiences empty-handed. New World is a recent example that collapsed years after launch, while others, such as Amazon's Lord of the Rings MMO and Fantastic Pixel Castle's canceled projects.

There are many reasons for the consistent failure of new MMOs. First, they are expensive and complicated to create, and second, the majority of MMO players have communities in other games that they are already used to, which means that something new has to be very compelling to get them to turn their heads.

This has resulted in a situation where new players aren't enthusiastic about playing decades-old MMOs, but the core audience isn't willing to switch either. This has created a negative feedback loop in the MMO community and has contributed to the feeling among players that the genre is in steady decline.

The stalwarts of the genre, such as World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14 and RuneScape, all still have huge player bases, despite some of the doom and gloom surrounding MMOs in general.

NC America's CEO believes there is still hope for the genre

However, CEO of NC America – the American arm of NCSoft, developer of Aion 2 and Blade & Soul – Jeonghee “JJ” Jin is optimistic about the future of the genre.

In an interview with Wccftech, Jin expressed his belief that there is a “genuine chance” for a new Western MMO to actually stick around for more than a couple of years.

“What we've seen is a cyclical pattern, and I think we're at the bottom of that cycle,” Jin said. “A large number of players still spend a lot of time in games that are 10 or 15 years old. That says there is a place. There is an audience that is loyal, that forms genuine communities, that makes games a part of their lives. That's exactly the audience that MMORPGs are talking to.”

A white-haired character from Aion 2's cinematic trailer.

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Aion 2's launch was so disastrous that it crashed NCSoft's stock price

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“People say it's an old genre, niche, built for an older generation. Maybe. But trends in all creative industries are coming back. Younger players are growing up on Roblox and Minecraft and already understand what it means to belong to a world and community in the game. I think that bodes well for MMORPGs in the long term,” she continued.

The sequel to NCSoft's long-running MMO, Aion, has been released in South Korea and Taiwan. An international release is coming later this year, although there have been controversies involving the monetization and recreation (and subsequent sexualization) of real-life individuals.