Speaking earlier today at the Evolve conference in Brighton, videogame analyst for Wedbush Securities, has stated his belief that the MMO market is as big as it’s ever going to get.
Pachter’s session at the conference was focused on the big events of the past ten years that have helped shape where the industry stands today, and where it’s going in the future. Part of the session focused on the rise of the MMO, and Pachter’s belief that it will not rise any further.
Using Star Wars: The Old Republic as an example, Pachter said:
“In the next couple of years [following 2008] MMOs peaked; we didn’t know that [it had peaked] until Star Wars launched. I, and many other likeminded people thought that Star Wars would expand the market place.
“Star Wars was supposed to bring in all of these new people that had never played an MMO before, just because they loved the brand. We know that Rift just took players from other existing MMOs, and the same with Conan and Lords of the Rings. Now the same thing has happened with Star Wars.
“It looks to me as though the MMO market is as big as it’s ever going to be – as far as subscription MMOs. People willing to play $15 a month.., there are six or seven million of them. Period. If Star Wars couldn’t expand it, when it’s made by BioWare, nothing can do it.
“That’s why Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios went out of business, because he couldn’t get financing [for his MMO].”
So, Funcom shouldn’t be getting their hopes too high with their recent launch of The Secret World, then…
Evolve 2012 morphs into the Develop conference tomorrow, which runs for two days in Brighton until Thursday 12 July.
