DC Universe Online Could Challenge World Of Warcraft

(RTTNews) - While Activision Blizzard, Inc.'s (ATVI) World of Warcraft has long been the top dog in the world of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), boasting 11.5 million subscribers, the fantasy world of Azeroth could finally face some serious competition from Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online.

Benefiting from the built-in fan base of DC comics as well as the recent resurgence of the popularity of super heroes, DC Universe Online could also attract subscribers with an interesting combination of action and role-playing elements as demonstrated at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

Although Cryptic Studios' City of Heroes and its sequel City of Villains have had some success bringing the super hero genre to the MMORPG world, DC Universe Online should have increased appeal due in part to the ability of the player to fight alongside or against popular DC heroes and villains such as Superman and Batman or the Joker and Lex Luthor.

The demo showcased by SOE's Jens Andersen and Chris Cao showed off some of the action elements of the game that may help it to stand out from the standard MMORPG, including how the movement of the character, be it flying like Superman or scaling walls like Batman, will influence the fighting style of the particular character.

As with standard MMORPGs, players in DC Universe Online also have the ability to team up with or fight against other players, but it seems that the action elements of the game may help it appeal to a broader audience than some of its point-and-click counterparts.

However, DC Universe Online still faces some potential challenges, including the $14.99 a month fee required to participate in the game.

While World of Warcraft has been able to overcome the obstacle of charging a monthly fee, it could still dissuade some thrifty gamers in light of the lackluster economic recovery.

In light of the economic climate, free-to-play MMORPGs like those online game publisher Gamigo is showcasing at the E3 Expo may start to take over an increasing share of the market in coming years.

Gamigo showed off three of its upcoming games, Loong, Black Prophecy, and King of Kings III. While still in development, the games all displayed magnificent graphics and gameplay on par with that of ordinary pay-for-play multiplayer games.

While the player can use real money to purchase items in the game that may allow them to progress faster, no payment is required to play the games.

Loong seemed like a particularly interesting game, combining Chinese mythology and design with many of the fantasy elements seen in standard RPGs. The ability to raise pets from cute little babies into ridable mounts could also increase its appeal to a wider audience.

by RTT Staff Writer

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