Warhammer: can EA pull it off?

Young Joab and I had a discussion this morning around the question: are people burning out on EA-related news? It’s a reasonable point to discuss. After all, they’ve been everywhere since John Riccitiello took over the top spot. In the corporate sphere, when EA aren’t punching on with Activision/Vivendi, they’re (still) trying to take over Take-Two. In the market space, they’re still pushing on with rolling out a casual offering alongside a hardcore one, not to mention trying to keep bridging the gap between sports and sports gaming.

So to be fair, if you don’t talk about what the one-time leader is up to… you might miss something big. So forging on with that loose justification is a question doubtless plaguing the minds of many punters who either are active (or interested) in massively multiplayer online gaming (MMOGs): how will EA go with Warhammer Online, out relatively shortly?

At first glance, things don’t look promising. EA has built up quite a rep for putting stuff out annually, of maximising dollar return, and not wasting too much time on maintaining a product after launch. Great news if you’re a stockholder, not so great if you’re looking for a game to play for more than six months, let alone the years that MMOG players expect. After all, who wants to invest time and a monthly subscription in something that’s got an uncertain future. The impression of longevity – illusory or otherwise – is key in MMOG worlds.

Developers Mythic are passionately behind the project, but that too is no guarantee. If the money dries up or isn’t meeting expectations, then all bets are off. Just ask Flagship Studios, makers of Hellgate: London. Touted as the next big thing at launch, the game has lurched along haphazardly and recently the developers had to bring in external cash from a partner to keep things afloat.

Further, there’s no shortage of uncertainty about how EA will monetise the Warhammer game. Expansion packs are one thing, but dipping into the world of microtransactions is dodgy territory. Oblivion’s experiment with paid-for items didn’t change the world – aggressive pursuit from EA or Mythic early on isn’t likely to help. You’d think if the subscriber numbers pour in in sufficient numbers, the need to add additional revenue might be reduced.

My hope is the same as many people’s: that EA buck history and take the long view when it comes to supporting Warhammer Online. Maybe all that aggro between them and Activision might manifest itself in a determination to bury World of Warcraft, who knows. The old EA would have likely turfed the game out the door, kept it afloat for 3 months and promptly forgot about it. Unfortunately for us, the chicken-or-the-egg nature of MMOG play at present means we’ll have to buy the game and play through the content for a few months to find out if the new EA follows through or not – here’s hoping.

What’s your thoughts? Can EA be trusted to deliver a MMOG - and support it? Will the fact it’s a big licensed name make a difference? When evaluating a MMO – what’s your idea of a reasonable period of time supporting it