The main problem with most MMORPGs is the grind or killing the same monsters over again either to level up or get loot. Anyone who's played and devoted time to leveling a character can attest to that. Apparently, Colony Studios CEO Michael Wallis feels the same way.

He cited World of Warcraft as an example of a genre getting old. While he gave the game props since it did some good things, he also stated the problem with it: "If you look at any of the current MMOGs, much of the gameplay is exactly the same as that in WoW which is pretty much the same as that in EverQuest which is eight years old already.

Pretty strong words but he did raise valid points regarding the current trend of MMORPG in the market today. Most of the games follow the routine: collect "X" items and trade them in to finish a quest. This may have been fine eight years ago but most would think the genre should have evolved after many years.

Despite that, Colony Studios is still undecided on the path they will take in the MMORPG market. So far, they are planning on licensing and releasing a yet unnamed major Hollywood science-fiction property. If the deal doesn't push through, then they plan on coming out with their own original IP.

If you want to read more about, click on our Read link to take you to the full interview.

No longer keeping within the safe zone of tried and tested IPs, 10 veteran developers of MMO titans like World of Warcraft, EVE Online, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, Lord of the Rings Online, EverQuest and Ultima Online have now come together to form a new MMO developer studio called Colony Studios.

 

Banking on the huge array of experience and knowledge from their pool of talents, Colony Studios is now setting out to create a next-generation MMO, "outside the normal MMO design," based on their own intellectual property. They haven't announced the title of their project in the works, but they have revealed that it will be a dynamic, living world and not a "safe" MMO.

So gamers can expect that this new title will not be another World of Warcraft. In fact, many will probably speculate that it could be the next World of Warcraft-killer - or, more appropriately, an EVE Online-killer. According to Colony Studios, their first project entails a space-based sci-fi MMO "utilizing proven middleware technology." We have yet to learn if the middleware was licensed or is being developed on their own.

The game is already being planned to have more than a linear storyline, with epic stories to establish the game's history and backstory. Not surprisingly, that's where all the linearity ends. Players, upon entering the game, influences the game's direction and in turn create the game's history in real-time. Colony Studios' CEO and veteran MMO developer Michael Wallis explains:

Our collective contributions to a significant number of hit MMOs give us a strong advantage. Most dev teams – including Colony’s – have gone through the process of learning what doesn’t work in game development, but our team members have also been intimately involved with creating what does work in several successful MMOs and that combination will serve us well. 

Our challenge is, of course, to use our experience and talent correctly to create an MMO that players will enjoy. The bottom line is we’ve launched MMOs before, and our experience lets us anticipate bumps in the road and steer clear of them.  The fact that we’ve been through it before means things are much less likely to fall through the cracks.

The game is slated for a late 2009 release, and we'll be keeping tabs on further announcements of the title. Keep your eyes peeled and seat comfy. It's going to be a lengthy wait.