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Romero Opens MMOG Studio, Nobody Notices... or Cares

The MMOG industry has been a love/hate genre of the industry since its arrival. Legends have risen out of it and giants have fallen. And now an already huge designer/programmer jumps into the fray.

John Romero's newly founded and funded MMO game company in the Bay Area is developing a Super Secret Mystery Project that will be revealed to only the most qualified candidates!

My executive cabal and I are very excited to build an amazing development team and create something truly unique. Our offices are located near Redwood City, California. Apply now and prepare to enter the reality distortion field!

He has the supersweet domain name slipg8.com for his new company Slipgate Ironworks.  So on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is no chance of success and 10 is some bizarre bloated engine that makes $5,000 computers weep and Xbox 360s explode, where would his MMOG fall on the scale?

Well... to be objective it probably depends on his team.  If he has credible game designers and management, then maybe.  If it's seat-of-pants-circa-1999 stuff, then no.  If he's just the figurehead and creative input, and there's a real org there, then I don't know why it wouldn't ship.

Now, back to the original question.

I think presuming everything is real (starting at 5), I'd say his game is probably gonna be a 6-7.  With points off for lack of mighty innovation (first MMO title to ship) off for the org being able to run it well (only because its their first MMO to produce and run).

That's the best I can do.  I can't help thinking of VG, and wondering about the state of things like Stargate:Worlds and Conan etc.

I predict it will be a 10 as regards opportunity for ridicule and farce but only a 3 as far as the actual game itself is concerned.  Probably something similar to Horizons.

Need more input.  Eight years ago, yeah, this announcement would be a joke.  Then Daikatana happened.  Even Romero's ego probably can't bounce a reality check that big.  If he's learned from his mistakes, he's going to be fucking indestructible after that.  Or, if he hasn't, it should at least as interesting to watch as Daikatana was.

I somehow think people would care a lot less about Romero if Stevie Case wasn't paraded around so much back in the day - I certainly gave her more attention than I did Romero.

This will fail before it goes anywhere, unless they get some really focused people in on it. The more likely scenario is they will milk their funders for a few years before getting shut down, which is all too common.

An MMOG is not the way to go for an upstart, even with a "famous" rock star name like Romero in the mix. MMOGs are hard, expensive, take much planning with billing and support and infrastructure before it even ships. The smart thing to do would be for them to make a Diablo clone, or a GTA clone to start off. Something with no support, no billing, quick easy and decently fun.

Online gaming doesnt need any rock stars, especially ones working their tired fame from years ago. Show me progress, then I'll be a believer.

It'll be interesting to follow if he's working on Avatar -- otherwise whatever. Cameron's not one for doing things half-assed and he strikes me as somebody who doesn't suffer fools gladly so if they are working on Avatar it's either going to be the greatest Sci-Fi shootem up since, well, Doom (and an MMOG to boot), or there will be a spectacular flameout sometime during development.

I don't know...He couldn't even keep a mobile games company together. I don't know all the details on that, but you would think that that would be the best place to hedge one's bets.


Oh, and in other news (if it wasn't already reported), Carmack seems to be eyeing the MMO genre as well. Except for phones.

I was very excited to read this, until I actually read the story and discovered it was that guy, and not George Romero making a zombie survival MMO. Fuck.

Romero...and an MMO?  The possibilities are pointless.

Me too.   :cry: