Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Why Can't MMOs Release On 360?
Cryptic's Champions Online is just the latest MMO that will never see the light of day on the Xbox 360. What is preventing these titles from reaching the gamers who want to play them?
Early press coverage of Champions Online, including our first-look feature on the game in Game Informer's March 2008 feature (#179) detailed plans for Champions Online to come out on Microsoft's 360 console. At the time of our visit to Cryptic, the game was already up and running on networked 360s and PCs, and our earliest playtime with the game was on a 360 controller.
Despite these positive signs of potential life in the console MMO scene, the console port appears to have died on the vine. In a post on Cryptic's forums from March 22nd, and originally reported by Team Xbox, Cryptic Team poster Jackalope indicated that: "100% of our focus is on making the current PC product the best it can be. There are no current plans for a console version of Champions." Long-time readers of the Cryptic forums will recognize Jackalope as the online pseudonym of Jack Emmert, Cryptic co-founder and CCO, a position that certainly lends the claim some weight.
Champions Online will be the most recent of several MMOs that have failed to materialize for a Microsoft console. True Fantasy Live Online (Level-5), Marvel Universe Online (Cryptic and Marvel), Age of Conan (Funcom), and Huxley (Webzen) were all games originally planned for release on either the original Xbox or 360, but none of them have ever arrived.
Several anonymous sources in the development community over the last two years have communicated to Game Informer that the continuing absence of MMOs on the 360 comes down to a disagreement between developers and Microsoft over subscription fees. If these reports are to be believed, Microsoft has often sought significant chunks of the subscription costs that MMOs utilize to maintain and profit off of an MMO. The same sources have indicated that Final Fantasy XI, the one exception to the 360 MMO draught, was implemented prior to these new subscription fee policies by Microsoft.
Some might argue that Microsoft's approach seems self-defeating – if a strong MMO contender were to appear on Xbox Live, wouldn't it boost Xbox Live subscription numbers enough that a cut of the subscription fees would be unnecessary? Of course, the blame may not lie entirely with Microsoft. There is the possibility that numerous developers have all been problematic to work with. No matter where the fault lies, something is going wrong somewhere, and gamers are the ones missing out on the console MMO experience.
While preparing this article, we contacted Microsoft for comment on the apparent problems in implementing MMOs on the 360. We'll be sure to update this story if we hear back.
In the meantime, what's your take? Is the cancellation of Champions Online on 360 a disappointment? If that game and other MMOs showed up on 360, would you play them?
Products In This Article
Final Fantasy XI
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
