If there is one genre in videogames that has yet to make the smooth transition over from PC to consoles, it is the Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game. The First Person Shooter genre made its big leap from PC to consoles with major games such as GoldenEye OO7 for the Nintendo 64, Halo on the original Xbox, and even the PS3’s very own, Resistance: Fall of Man.
What about MMOs? PlayStation fans are no stranger to the genre as Final Fantasy XI was a huge hit on the PlayStation 2. However, with an exclusive deal with the industry’s leading MMO developer, NCsoft, the PlayStation 3 could be the console which puts MMOs on the map for the console market.
Speaking to GameDaily, NCsoft President Chris Chung spoke about their strategy for MMOs in the New Year detailing some information that they would like to improve on as well as what their fans want:
"We have a solid strategy of building a high quality portfolio of games and we’re going to continue to do that," said Chung.
"This year, were also going to focus on things we haven’t been doing, like improving the user interaction. Along those same lines, we’ve been asking the consumers what they want and we might build a universal NCsoft ‘launcher’ like what’s included with Tabula Rasa. They also want the ability to purchase things online and communicate with their friends playing our games, so we’re looking into that too."
Furthermore, he talked about the PlayStation 3 and what their plans are specifically for the console:
"I think there are a lot of causes that factor into good MMOs on a console," he added.
"These are elements like ‘does the person have a standard definition TV or an HDTV?’ You don’t have a good a resolution on regular TV, and a lot of games were hurting for that. Ultimately, we have to really optimize for consoles; we have to create an experience that’s suited for the [PS3] and supports the MMO element. I think the shift is inevitable; real-time strategy is one of the last PC genres moving onto consoles, and I think we’ll see a similar trend for online games as well."
Looks like PlayStation 3 owners are in for something special. Hopefully when the time approaches, NCsoft will utilize the PS3’s Home service to further enhance and diversify the online experience.
Source: GameDaily