MMO with $2M development cost
Raph Koster, veteran of Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, discusses the viability of traditional theme park MMOs, citing ballooning development costs and stagnant gameplay. His upcoming sandbox MMO, Stars Reach, aims to break this mold. Koster believes the genre's narrow focus since World of Warcraft has left players "bored, frustrated, and underserved".
Matt Firor recalls skepticism from publishers in 2001 about new MMOs like Project Blackbird — discoverability remains a key challenge for success.